The Speedy Chocolatier Showdown
by mattTheWriter072
Summary: When the mayor of Station Square invites Willy Wonka, Charlie Bucket, and his friends to a race against Sonic and his friends, they happily agree to participate in a Grand Prix they will never forget! (2005 CatCF characters, and a selection of characters from various SEGA franchises)
1. An Invitation

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory franchise or any characters associated with the franchise. All rights belong to Roald Dahl, Tim Burton, and Warner Bros. Pictures. I also do not own anything or anyone from the following franchises: SEGA Superstars, Sonic the Hedgehog, Super Monkey Ball, Samba de Amigo, Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg, Crazy Taxi, Alex Kidd, Space Channel 5, Fantasy Zone, and ChuChu Rocket. All rights belong to SEGA. This is not my intellectual property, and no financial gain is made from this nor will be sought. This is purely for entertainment purposes only.

Chapter 1 - An Invitation

"Charlie!" Mr. Wonka cried as he rushed towards his apprentice, carrying a white envelope in his left hand. Charlie was sitting in front of a large screen which continuously displayed data about the chocolate river inside the Chocolate Room, such as its temperature, viscosity, consistency, and so on. "This envelope is addressed to you, my dear boy."

"Really?" Charlie asked, swiveling around in his armchair as his mentor handed him the envelope.

"Go on, open it!" Mr. Wonka told him, jumping up and down with excitement. Charlie opened the letter to find a ticket that looked almost exactly like the Golden Ticket he found before the tour, but this one was a light, metallic blue. Like the Golden Ticket, this one had a message printed on it.

"Dear Charlie Bucket," he read aloud, "It has been my honor to send you this ticket. You've been invited to participate in a Grand Prix tournament with your friends, along with the one and only Sonic the Hedgehog, his friends, and lots of other racers, too! The tournament will be held in the city of Station Square, and we'll see you in the banquet hall at Hôtel de Blanc tomorrow evening at six o'clock. The tutorials and races will begin the day after, so get ready for some high-octane action! Signed, Joe Benson, Mayor of Station Square, along with All-Stars Racing. This sounds like fun! Are you going as well?"

"Of course I am!" Mr. Wonka replied enthusiastically. "That's why I was so eager to hand you the letter; since I received a ticket just like yours earlier. Augustus, Veruca, Violet, and Mike received theirs a few days ago, and they notified me via email that they would be attending as well, so I'm expecting to see everyone at the factory tomorrow, at 10 AM sharp. From there on, we'll fly to Station Square in my private jet. The Oompa-Loompas already know where to go, and Doris will be our pilot."

"Fantastic!" Charlie exclaimed happily, leaping out of his seat. "I guess I'll notify the rest of my family and share the news with them! They'll be so excited to hear about this!" He quickly checked his watch. "Oh, and it's almost dinner time anyway. Thank you so much, Mr. Wonka!"

"Shall we walk to the Chocolate Room together?" Willy asked. "That way, we can both break the news at the same time, haha!"

"Let's do it," Charlie affirmed. The two chocolatiers proceeded to journey down the vast maze of corridors towards the Bucket family's house in the middle of the Chocolate Room.

* * *

Inside the house, Mr. and Mrs. Bucket were finishing the process of making dinner for everyone. Meanwhile, Charlie's four grandparents had risen out of bed, but they didn't take their eyes off their brand-new 65-inch flatscreen TV, which was currently tuned to CNN. A young female reporter was smiling at the camera, and the headline at the bottom of the screen read: "GRAND PRIX RACE TO BE HELD IN STATION SQUARE, FEATURING WILLY WONKA, CHARLIE BUCKET AND THE OTHER GOLDEN TICKET WINNERS, AND SONIC THE HEDGEHOG".

"Good evening," the reporter announced. "We have breaking news! There will be a special event, a Grand Prix, taking place in the city of Station Square. The mayor of Station Square, as well as All-Stars Racing, has invited none other than the world-famous chocolatier, Willy Wonka, his apprentice, Charlie Bucket, as well as the other four Golden Ticket winners who originally toured Wonka's factory five years ago."

Grandpa Joe's jaw dropped wide open. "Wait, you mean they're gonna be _racing_ each other?!" he spluttered in bewilderment.

"The entire event will be televised, as well as streamed online via all social networking platforms," the reporter continued, "so that everyone at home could share the full experience. The creators of the event have designed special courses and vehicles for the racers to compete with. We'll have more updates on this momentous event as it—"

"MOM! DAD!" The door burst open and Charlie Bucket came running into the house, and Mr. Wonka followed closely behind. "You won't believe it! We just got invited to a race in Station Square!"

"We already know, Charlie," Mrs. Bucket spoke softly. "It's all over the news. I'm so proud of you."

"Thank you so much, Mom," Charlie said before giving her a hug.

"What a fantastic opportunity!" Grandpa Joe spoke up. "This will be a great way for you to make yourself and Mr. Wonka even more widely known than you already are. I'm sure you'll have a great time."

"Thanks, Grandpa Joe."

"All right, dinner is ready," Mr. Bucket announced as he finished setting the table. "Seat yourselves."

Tonight's dinner consisted of a beef roast, mashed potatoes and gravy, and a Greek salad. While everyone was enjoying their meal, the conversation was still focused on the upcoming race.

"Do you know if the other guardians will be going with them as well?" Mrs. Bucket asked Mr. Wonka.

"They won't be," he replied with a smile. "They'll be staying with you fellows, if you don't mind."

"But we don't have enough room in this house for everyone to watch TV all at once!" Grandma Josephine protested.

"Don't worry, we already have that taken care of," Willy reassured her. "Everyone will be watching the event from inside the Projection Room, which as you know, is our state-of-the-art movie theater. Of course, meals and refreshments will be provided, and the Oompa-Loompas will make everyone feel as comfortable as possible. You don't have to worry about anyone or anything."

Grandma Josephine spoke up. "What is this Sonic the Hedgehog thing they were talking about on the news earlier?"

"Sonic is a blue hedgehog that apparently can run faster than the speed of sound!" Charlie answered.

"That's nonsense!" Grandpa George interjected. "Hedgehogs can't even run as fast as an average human!"

"Calm down, George," Mr. Wonka told him. "If we could teleport chocolate bars to millions of TV sets around the world, and make sentient candies such as Square Candies that Look Round as well as our chocolate birds, and make ice cream that doesn't melt in even the hottest temperatures, then I don't see why a being like Sonic couldn't exist. Besides, we'll all get to see him and his friends tomorrow evening!" Turning to his apprentice, he added, "Isn't that right, Charlie?"

"You bet," Charlie replied with a thumbs-up.

"I'll cheer you guys on the whole time!" Grandpa Joe said. "Who's with me?" Everyone raised their hands. "Fantastic! But if this Sonic creature is as fast as you say he is, then your cars will have to go supersonic in order to catch up with him!"

"Actually, I don't think it'll work that way," Willy said. "From what I heard, Sonic will be driving a vehicle as well, to make sure the race is fair. Otherwise, he would lap us a dozen times before the race is done!"

"Will you guys be wearing helmets?" Mrs. Bucket inquired. "I don't want you to get injured out there."

"I'm sure the safety gear will be more than adequate for us," Mr. Wonka responded. "Think about all the legal ramifications that could happen otherwise. Besides, the mayor of Station Square is one of the people who organized this event. He's got it all in the bag."

"Wonderful," Mrs. Bucket said, clasping her hands together. "Now Charlie, I think it's time you get yourself ready for bed. You've got a busy and exciting day ahead of you tomorrow." Charlie nodded, and he rose up from his chair. He even took the time to clear the table, placing all of the dishes into the dishwasher before filling it with soap and turning it on. "Thank you so much for cleaning up after us, Charlie."

"You're welcome, Mom," Charlie said, kissing the top of her forehead. "Sweet dreams." He said goodnight to his father, his four grandparents, and finally Mr. Wonka before ascending the spiral stairs that led to his room.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles were sitting in the arrivals area of the Station Square International Airport as they waited for the rest of their competition to show up. It was a large, spacious atrium with a clear view of one of the runways, dozens of comfortable armchairs, and TV screens overhead that displayed the estimated arrival times of each and every plane that was scheduled to land.

"If Amy continues shopping at the rate she is now," Knuckles said jokingly to Sonic, "she's gonna be as broke as those Eggman robots we routinely destroy."

"Heh, very funny," Sonic replied sarcastically. "I wonder how she manages her money, anyway. I know we're technically considered celebrities, but that doesn't mean we have a multi-million dollar mansion all to ourselves. Besides, I just like to go wherever I please. You should know that by now."

"Hey, don't make me look stupid!" the red echidna growled, clenching his fists.

"Well, I can't help it if you're slow, can I?" Sonic replied, a cocky grin forming on his face. "Besides, I prefer to think on my feet."

"Shut up!" Knuckles shouted, only to be met with stares and glares from the people who were within earshot of the commotion.

Tails' sapphire eyes were glued to the ever-changing list of incoming planes that updated itself every thirty seconds. Station Square's airport was one of the largest in the nation, and the sheer volume of traffic coming and going certainly didn't prove otherwise.

"Sonic!" Tails called, pointing at one of the screens. "Knuckles! Flight 543 has just landed at 6:20 PM, right on time. Everyone who's chosen to fly is officially here!"

"Who's on that flight?" Sonic wondered. "I'm curious."

"Shadow, Big, AiAi, Amigo, Alex Kidd, Ulala, and B.D. Joe," the twin-tailed fox replied. "Billy Hatcher, the ChuChus, and Opa-Opa have already arrived at the hotel via train."

"I know Eggman has been entered into this competition," Sonic said, "but where is he?"

"He's over there," Tails answered, pointing at a group of people some distance away. The rotund mad scientist was being escorted towards one of the airport's main entrances by no fewer than eight security guards and two K-9 units.

Sonic gave Dr. Eggman a cheeky grin as the guards led him out of sight. "Well then, I hope poor Egghead will enjoy getting his butt whipped during the race."

"We'll see about that," Knuckles muttered, crossing his arms.

"Oh, Sonic!" a female voice rang out. "I'm back!"

Sonic sighed. "Great, here comes Amy." Sure enough, the pink hedgehog was sprinting towards him, holding more than a few shopping bags in her hands. "So...uh, how was your shopping spree?"

"Fantastic!" Amy replied, clasping her hands together while looking Sonic in the eyes with a lovesick expression. "I mostly bought various beauty products, but I also got a new dress for myself, which you'll see firsthand during our formal dinner tomorrow night! Whaddya think?"

"Cool, Ames," Sonic quickly said, winking at her before turning back to face Tails and Knuckles.

Amy tapped Sonic on the back a few times, and he whirled around to face her once again. "Sonic, I forgot to mention one more thing!"

"What is it?" Sonic questioned. In response, Amy reached into one of her bags and pulled out a box of assorted chocolates. "You got chocolates, I see?"

"Not just _any_ old chocolates," Amy replied. "They're Wonka's chocolates, the best kind around!"

This captured Tails' attention. "I'm not sure if you guys knew this, but Willy Wonka himself will also take part in this competition, as well as Charlie Bucket and everyone else who went on a tour of his factory a few years ago. I received official word from the mayor recently."

"Really?!" Amy squealed with excitement. "I've always wanted to meet them in person! How about you, Sonic?"

"Eh, I guess I'm cool with it," Sonic said, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm more excited about beating Eggman once and for all than anything else."

Amy glared at Sonic. "_That's_ the only response I get? Are you kidding me?!" She brandished her Piko-Piko hammer, but just as she was about to swing it towards Sonic, Tails dashed in front of her with a stern look on his face.

"Amy," he asserted, "you know that weapons of any kind aren't allowed in the airport! You could be arrested!"

"You're right," Amy said sheepishly, putting the hammer away. "Sorry about that."

"Just remember that for next time, okay?" Tails pleaded. Amy silently nodded.

"Back to what I was talking about," Tails continued, "Willy Wonka and the others are due to show up at Hôtel de Blanc at 6 PM tomorrow. This will be one heck of a race! I'm so excited!"

"I'm curious to see what kind of vehicles they'll be driving," Knuckles said. "We don't even know what _our_ vehicles will be like!"

"I bet mine will be a plane," Tails said eagerly.

"Mine will certainly be the fastest," Sonic boasted, jabbing his thumb into his chest. "I'm sure of that."

"I hope to be racing in the prettiest car ever built," Amy added.

Lastly, Knuckles said, "I'll just have to wait and see what mine will look like, but even if it doesn't handle well, my sheer strength will more than make up for it!" He was about to playfully punch Tails, but the fox was nowhere to be seen. "What the...? Where'd Tails go?"

"Sonic!" Tails' excited voice sounded from around a corner. "The others just made it through the baggage claim! They're here!"

"Sweet!" Sonic exclaimed. "Let's go!" He frantically dashed towards the exit doors of the baggage claim where Tails was patiently waiting, and Knuckles and Amy showed up a few seconds later. The glass doors automatically slid open, and Shadow was the first individual to make his entrance known, towing a black suitcase behind him. A smirk developed on the red-and-black hedgehog's face as he laid eyes on his blue look-alike.

"Hey, blue hedgehog," Shadow said calmly as he walked up to Sonic. They casually shook hands, a symbol of how their former hatred for each other had since been toned down into a friendly rivalry. "I hope you're ready to compete against me, because I won't make it easy for you nor everyone else. Not one bit."

"I'm always ready, Faker!" Sonic replied. "Feel free to dish out everything you've got on the track! I'll be more than happy to put up a friendly fight with you over there."

"You've got yourself a deal," Shadow said.

Big was the next mammal to appear. He was a large, purple cat with purple fur covering most of his body, with the notable exception of his chest, torso, and muzzle, which were covered with white fur. His attire consisted of large yellow gloves, yellow sandals, and a belt with an oversized golden buckle. He was wheeling in a large, purple suitcase. His friendly yellow eyes lit up as soon as he walked in.

"Hi, Big," Sonic called out, greeting him with a friendly wave. He noticed that Big's pet frog was nowhere to be seen. "Froggy didn't hop away on you again, did he?"

"No, Sonic," Big said in a reassuring tone. "Cream the Rabbit is taking care of him. However, Cream is expected to show up during the races, so I'm sure I'll be able to hold my beloved Froggy then."

"Cream isn't racing, is she?" Amy inquired. "She didn't enter herself into the race, as far as I know." Big shook his head in response.

"No, she'll just be watching us from the grandstands," the cat replied. "She's supposed to arrive at the hotel tomorrow morning."

"I see," Amy said with a smile. "Well, if I don't get to see her before the first race begins, please tell her that I said hello."

"I'll do that, Amy," Big promised.

Suddenly, the sound of maracas shaking was heard as two rather excited monkeys paraded through the doors.

"Here come AiAi and Amigo!" Tails announced. "Hola!"

AiAi had unusually large ears, and he wore an orange shirt with a white capital "A" on the front, along with a blue backpack. Amigo wore a colorful sombrero, a green T-shirt, and blue jeans. In each hand, he held a wooden maraca whose colors matched those of his sombrero. AiAi was taking care of both his and Amigo's bags.

Amigo walked straight up to Sonic and gave him a high-five, since he couldn't speak.

"How are you doing, my buddy?" Sonic asked him. In response, he smiled and furiously shook his maracas. "That's great! I'm glad you're excited and ready for some action!"

Tails walked up to AiAi with a banana in his hand. "Would you like this?" he asked, and AiAi happily grabbed the yellow fruit for himself. He expertly peeled the skin in a fashion that only monkeys do, and within seconds, the fruit was gone and all that was left was an empty banana peel, which he promptly tossed into the nearest garbage can.

"Hey, everyone!" a child's voice called out. Seconds later, a short boy with chocolate-brown hair and aqua-green eyes stepped through the open doors. He wore a yellow jumpsuit with a red jacket, and yellow boots, and he was pulling a blue suitcase behind him.

"Alex Kidd!" Tails acknowledged. "How are you today?"

"I'm great!" Alex replied, pumping his fist into the air. "Although I will admit, I am feeling a little anxious, because I've never raced before."

"You don't need to be worried," Tails said reassuringly, laying a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I'll give you all the advice and tips I've got during our dinner this evening. Plus, you'll also get to meet Willy Wonka, the amazing chocolatier!" Alex's cute face lit up at the mention of Mr. Wonka. "And from what I've researched, he knows a thing or two about racing as well!"

"Wow, that's great!" Alex cheered. "I'll see you later, then!" He gave the fox a high-five before walking away to mingle with the others.

The next person to enter was a tall, young woman named Ulala. She had bright-pink hair which was styled into two pigtails, and on top of that was a white headset with a microphone extending towards her perfect lips. Below her neck was a white midriff top with a logo that consisted of a blue "5" within a blue, satellite-like monitor. Just below her half-explosed abdomen, she wore a white mini-skirt with a silver trim on the bottom. The lower half of her long, slender legs were covered with thin white stockings, which seamlessly met up with her orange-soled, high-heeled boots. On her hands, she wore white gloves with cuffs that stretched all the way up to her elbows. She was a reporter for a news station called Space Channel 5, as well as a talented dancer and musician.

"Welcome to Station Square, Ulala!" Tails greeted. She smiled at the fox with a twinkle in her light-blue eyes before leaning next to Sonic against the wall.

"_Heeey girrrrl_," the blue hedgehog teased, causing Ulala to burst into giggles. "Long time no see!"

"Oh, Sonic, you're such a clown!" Ulala chuckled, playfully slapping him on the back. "It has been a long time indeed! That tennis match I played against you earlier was so exhilarating!"

"I know, right?" Sonic replied. "What were those weird alien creatures that accompanied you during the game, by the way? Their names started with an 'M', if I recall properly."

Ulala cocked her head to one side. "Morolians, you mean?" Sonic nodded. "They invaded—er, _will_ invade Earth, I guess, in the year 2499. As a news reporter, I went to the scene of the invasion to investigate and broadcast the events. The Morolians were armed with ray guns that forced their victims to dance. I soon found out that they were being brainwashed by Chief Blank, former CEO of Space Channel 5, to garner better ratings for the channel. After his defeat, we treated the Morolians as normal, trustworthy citizens."

"Wow, that's interesting!" Sonic remarked. "Will you be able to summon them again, during the race?"

"More than likely," Ulala said, winking at him.

"Perfect!" Tails suddenly exclaimed, causing everyone to jump in surprise. The fox eagerly watched as one last silhouette made its way to the doors. "Everyone is _officially_ here now."

The doors slid open one last time, and a tall man with dark skin pranced his way into the room, gripping the handle of a bright-yellow suitcase. A hat with fiery-orange flower designs on it sat atop his buzz-cut hair, complemented by a pair of sunglasses that obscured his otherwise vibrant eyes. He wore a navy blue T-shirt with a grey long-sleeve shirt underneath, and a pair of red shorts covered the upper half of his clean-shaven legs. Lastly, his feet were encased in a pair of red sneakers with yellow laces. His name was B.D. Joe, and he was known for his jolly, upbeat attitude, as well as being the fastest and craziest taxi driver in all of Station Square.

"Yo, everyone!" he greeted enthusiastically. "'Sup?"

"Welcome back, B.D. Joe!" Tails said. "How was your vacation down in Cuba?"

"Oh, it was _great_, man!" the cabbie replied, giving him a thumbs-up. "Nothin' but scorching hot rays, white sand, and o'course, all those damn pretty ladies! I'd go back right now if I could, but we've got a race to win!" He reached into his back pocket and pulled out an overstuffed leather wallet. Inside it was his taxi driver's license, which he pinned to the front of his shirt. "And I'll be your driver today! I'll send you guys to Emerald Coast almost as fast as you can say my name! Now let's get it on!"

He led everyone past the ticket counter, giving the clerks a friendly wave before heading towards an automatic revolving door, which led into the parking lot. Since there wasn't enough room for everyone and their luggage to fit in all at once, B.D. Joe and Ulala occupied one section as it slowly turned in a counterclockwise direction, then Alex Kidd and Shadow entered the next section. AiAi and Amigo were the next ones to make their exit, followed by Big and Amy. Sonic and Tails were next, and Knuckles was the last one to exit the terminal.

"Alright," B.D. Joe said, "follow me, everyone! Ready for a lil' taxi ride?"

* * *

"Whoa!"

"Hey! Watch it!"

"That was _so_ close!"

"Holy cow!"

"You're going too fast!"

Those were just a few utterances from everyone on board B.D. Joe's rental van, since there wasn't enough room for everyone in his trademark yellow cab. Rap music blared at top volume as he skillfully wove through dense city traffic, skidded around sharp corners, and plowed through major intersections on the way to Hôtel de Blanc. The one and only time he completely stopped was for an ambulance to speed across the intersection, then he slammed the pedal down to the floor once again, pinning everyone's heads against the headrests. It wasn't long before they reached the hotel, which was a large, stately building with a red roof and at least twelve floors. B.D. Joe pulled right up to the entrance and cut the engine.

"That was some ride!" Sonic said as he jumped out of the van. "Thanks, B.D. Joe!"

"Anytime!" the driver replied, giving Sonic a high-five. "And since I'm coming with you guys, you've no need for payment!"

With the exception of Shadow, Knuckles, and AiAi, the others didn't seem to be doing so well, since they stumbled out of the vehicle, clutching onto their stomachs.

"Ugh...I don't feel so good," Amy shakily moaned as she tried to steady herself.

"Me neither," Big added, lying down and rolling over on the pavement. Even Amigo was wobbling for a few seconds, dropping his maracas in the process. Sonic immediately ran to his aid.

"Here you go," Sonic said as he handed the maracas back to the Mexican monkey. Amigo shook his maracas, and Sonic couldn't help but smile as Amy and Ulala began dancing to the rhythm. B.D. Joe decided to join in with improvised beatboxing before Tails whistled loudly, silencing everyone in the process.

"Come _on_, guys!" the fox commanded as he unlocked the van's hatch. "We don't have all night to check in!"

"Right then, let's go!" Sonic said impatiently. He grabbed his suitcase, which was conveniently located right in front of him, and dashed into the hotel.

"He sure is excited," Knuckles mentioned while scratching the top of his head.

"As always," Amy added as she grabbed her own luggage, which included the stuff she bought at the airport. Of course, she was the next one to enter the building, for the sake of being with her speedy blue crush.

It didn't take long for everyone else to reunite with their bags and head inside the building. Once inside, they feasted their eyes on the architecture of the main lobby, a spacious room with a thirty-foot high ceiling and wine-colored carpet on the floor. Four crystal chandeliers were arranged in a row, from front to back. Along the left-hand wall, there was a long oak counter that served as the reception desk. A row of six golden elevator doors occupied the opposite wall, and digital displays above each door were counting up and down as the elevators ascended and descended from floor to floor. At the very back was a sliding glass door that led outside to the beach, and just before it, there were two hallways that led to the left and right wings, where all the guest rooms were located.

A group of men and women dressed in black uniforms marched into the lobby from the back door. They all lined up side-by-side, smiled at the team of racers, and bowed their heads simultaneously before returning to their full height a few seconds later.

A tall brunette who stood in the center of the group stepped forward a few paces.

"Welcome to Hôtel de Blanc, dear racers!" she spoke cheerfully. "How are you this wonderful evening?" Everyone cheered in response. "Excellent! My name is Rebecca, and I'm one of the executive directors of All-Stars Racing! Now, we won't actually be staying in the main building. See those doors in front of you? They provide access to the beach, and there are several dune buggies waiting there, with resort personnel on board. They will drive you to a secluded hotel located at the far end of Emerald Coast. Yes, Sonic, you can run instead if you wish to do so. Anyway, once you get there, the clerk will give you your electronic room key, a map of the area, the itinerary for the duration of the event that shows you when and where you should be at specific times, and of course, your car keys." Everyone became visibly excited, even Shadow who was generally known as an introvert. "The race tracks are located on a man-made island not too far away from here, and you'll access them via ferry. They've been carefully designed to recreate various locations from where you all come from.

Oh, and three more things: one, there are three other racers, named Opa-Opa, Billy Hatcher, and the ChuChus. I'll introduce them to you tonight. Two: you'll meet up with your vehicles tomorrow night. And three, as you may know, we have special guests who you'll also meet tomorrow night. They are Willy Wonka, Charlie Bucket, Augustus Gloop, Violet Beauregarde, Veruca Salt, and Mike Teavee. They'll be included in our roster, and we built special vehicles for them as well." Rebecca paused, clasping her hands over her chest. "There, I think that about covers it! I'll lead you towards the dune buggies, and you'll be shown your rooms! Our buffet dinner will begin in about an hour and a half, so please meet me back here at that time! Bye for now!"

* * *

"Awww, why can't I share my room with Sonic?" Amy moaned as Sonic and Tails disappeared into their room, labeled 425.

"Sorry, Amy," Ulala said, laying her hand on the pink hedgehog's shoulder to console her. "You've been assigned to this room, but don't forget, you'll see Sonic again during dinner tonight, and provided the Do Not Disturb sign isn't out, you can enter anyone's room if you wish to do so. Remember to knock first, of course."

"I guess," Amy pouted. "But...at least I'll get to know more about you, since you're my roommate now!"

"_That's_ more like it!" Ulala said cheerfully. She tapped her card against the sensor, and with a soft click, the door labeled 426 unlocked itself. "Let's explore our room, shall we?"

The girls first entered a short hallway, with two doors on the right-hand side. One door led into a spacious walk-in closet, with plenty of hangers and shelves. The other door revealed the bathroom, complete with a vanity that stretched all the way down the right-hand side, a private room where the toilet was located, a large shower, and a Jacuzzi tub.

"Wow," Amy said, stricken with awe. "I'm starting to love this place already!"

Beyond the bathroom door, the hallway opened up into a spacious room with two queen-size beds, an enormous flatscreen TV, and a large pair of sliding doors that led out onto a balcony overlooking the beach. There was also a counter featuring a sink, mini-fridge, coffee maker, and a microwave, as well as a safe to store valuables. Of course, Wi-Fi was also available, much to Amy's delight since she could use her iPhone without worrying about data charges. Ulala selected the bed closest to the bathroom, leaving Amy to take the bed which offered the best view of the beach.

"So," Ulala said as she sat on the edge of her bed, "shall we talk? I think we should get to know each other, since I'm sure we have at least something in common."

* * *

Meanwhile, Sonic and Tails had just finished unpacking their suitcases. Their room was identical to the one Amy and Ulala were staying in. Like Amy, Tails was pleased to find out there was Wi-Fi available.

"Whatcha doing, Tails?" Sonic inquired as Tails booted up his laptop.

"I'll be using Google Maps to see if I can get an aerial view of the tracks we'll be racing on!" the fox replied. He typed in his username and password to log in, connected the laptop to the Internet, and began searching around for the location of the island. Seconds later, he found it, and his eyes bugged out. "Wow, Sonic! Look at this! It's amazing!"

The island appeared to be separated into several different zones, each of which contained at least two or three different race tracks. Sonic's jaw dropped as Tails zoomed in to take a closer look. He could see tracks that were reminiscent of Seaside Hill, Casino Park, and Final Fortress, which were a few landmarks from his home world. There were also several unfamiliar locations, and he guessed those were tracks based on landmarks from the other racers' home locations.

"They really went all-out with designing these race courses," Sonic said as he gazed at three tracks from Seaside Hill: Whale Lagoon, Lost Palace, and Ocean Ruin. The Ocean Ruin track even had a vertical loop in a glass tunnel that rose out of the water! "I hope you're just as excited as I am!"

"Of course I am!" Tails replied, giving Sonic a thumbs-up. "But are you as _hungry_ as I am? If so, we'd better get back to the main lobby soon." He closed his laptop, putting it to sleep.

"All right!" Sonic said. "Let's go!"

* * *

Dr. Eggman's room was located in the basement. His room, labeled B01, was almost identical to that of the other rooms, featuring the same luxurious amenities. There were a couple of differences, however. A large window occupied the upper half of the wall instead of a sliding door, and in the short hallway where the closet and bathroom were located, there was a door on the left side, which led into an enormous workshop!

"Perfect!" the scientist whooped as the lights turned on, giving him a clear view of his Eggman cave. There was just about every kind of tool imaginable, as well as a row of computers, and an orange tarp in the center of the room that was covering something. He yanked the tarp away, and the sight of his new yet unfinished vehicle made him drool with excitement. "Oh, my brand-new beautiful baby! Time for me to get to work on building my latest creation!"

* * *

It wasn't all that long before the racers, including Dr. Eggman, met up with Rebecca in the main lobby of Hôtel de Blanc. Rebecca stood near the reception desk with a radiant smile on her face.

"Welcome back, everyone!" she said. "Looks like you all came on time, and some..." she looked at Sonic and Tails, "even came early! I bet you're all hungry, so I'll show you where our main restaurant is located!"

Rebecca led them down the left hallway just by the rear doors, and after another left-hand turn, they entered an enormous, dimly-lit room with red carpeting, an ornate ceiling, and a row of long tables that were covered with black tablecloths. At the far end of the restaurant, there were several rows of buffet counters that contained a wide assortment of salads, meats, pastas, pizzas, sushi, and decadent desserts. Much to Sonic's delight, one of the sections of the meat counter was piled high with chili dogs, his favorite food.

"Seat yourselves, everyone," Rebecca said, and her guests proceeded to do so. "You may either look at the menu or order from the buffet, whatever you decide. Also, for those aged 21 and older, you may look at our alcoholic beverages menu. Enjoy!"

Of course, Sonic immediately sprang up from his chair and made a beeline for the chili dogs. After piling five of them onto his plate, he returned to the table and began chowing down on them. Tails picked a turkey leg from the meat counter. Knuckles was at the salad bar, gathering grapes and other kinds of fruit. Amy spent a few minutes of her time at the dessert bar, choosing one of everything. Ulala selected several types of sushi from the buffet, as well as a bowl of cherry vanilla ice cream for dessert. Big ate a variety of fish, and Dr. Eggman asked the server behind the meat counter to get him the biggest burger they could possibly make. The others decided to order various items from the menu.

While everyone was happily talking and eating, Rebecca was testing the microphone that was placed in front of a tall wooden podium.

"Can I have everyone's attention, please?" Rebecca spoke into the microphone. The whole room fell silent after a few seconds. "Perfect. Now, if you look at the projection screen behind me, I've got one more announcement to make before we turn in for the night. As you know, we have a few extra racers joining us tonight, so please give them a hand!"

The entire room erupted in cheers and applause.

"Up first is Billy Hatcher!" The screen showed a live camera feed of a young boy wearing a rather extravagant outfit. His blond hair was mostly hidden by a white helmet with red combs protruding from it, giving him a slight rooster-like appearance. He wore a white sleeveless shirt, blue trousers, blue and brown shoes with golden buckles, and azure fingerless gloves on his hands. His blue eyes were filled with joy as he smiled and waved at his fellow racers, who gave him a standing ovation.

"Thank you so much, Billy," Rebecca said as he disappeared from the screen. "He preferred to ride the train, so that's the reason you guys didn't see him until now. Up next is Opa-Opa!"

On the screen was Opa-Opa, a sentient spacecraft. He had feathery white wings, an opaque cyan screen on the front, a hint of red on the back, and a green underbelly. Coming out from the underbelly were two skinny yellow legs with large golden feet. He flapped his wings as a sign of acknowledgement, and the audience cheered.

"Thanks, Opa-Opa!" Rebecca said. "Lastly, we have the ChuChus! Can you four come up here, please?"

The camera feed displayed four mice that happily scurried up to the podium. Rebecca carefully took each one in her hands, helping them to stand on an elevated table.

"Meet the ChuChus!" she announced. She pointed to a white mouse with blue ears and legs. "This is Chiuh." The next ChuChu had red ears and legs. "This is ChuPea." The camera focused on a green ChuChu. "This is ChuBach." Lastly, she pointed to a yellow ChuChu. "And this is ChuBei. They may be small, but don't let that fool you. They are up there with the best of you guys. Please give a round of applause to the other racers!" The clapping and cheering was even more deafening than before, and everyone stood up as they continued to applaud. Eventually, the noise died down upon Rebecca's request.

"Now, I take it that everyone has finished eating, am I correct?" Rebecca asked, and cheers erupted throughout the room once again. "Fantastic! I'm glad you enjoyed your food, and major props to our hard-working chefs! I'll give you clearance to head back to your rooms for the night, because you need to rest up for the opening ceremony tomorrow evening. Good night, everyone!" A final roar of applause drowned out every other sound in the room, and it wasn't until the clock struck ten that everyone finally stood up and exited the restaurant, leaving the area almost as quiet and dark as the beach outside.

**Author's note: I hope you enjoyed this nice, long introduction to my first crossover story! In case you're wondering about the title, I called it "The Speedy Chocolatier Showdown" as a reference to the competition between Willy Wonka and Sonic the Hedgehog during the upcoming race! To make things easier to remember, here is the full list of characters who will be racing in my story, along with the source material from where they were originally introduced.**

**Willy Wonka (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory)**

**Charlie Bucket (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory)**

**Augustus Gloop (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory)**

**Veruca Salt (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory)**

**Violet Beauregarde (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory)**

**Mike Teavee (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory)**

**Sonic (Sonic the Hedgehog)**

**Tails (Sonic the Hedgehog)**

**Amy (Sonic the Hedgehog)**

**Knuckles (Sonic the Hedgehog)**

**Shadow (Sonic the Hedgehog)**

**Big (Sonic the Hedgehog)**

**Dr. Eggman (Sonic the Hedgehog)**

**AiAi (Super Monkey Ball)**

**Amigo (Samba de Amigo)**

**Billy Hatcher (Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg)**

**B.D. Joe (Crazy Taxi)**

**Alex Kidd (Alex Kidd)**

**Ulala (Space Channel 5)**

**Opa-Opa (Fantasy Zone)**

**The ChuChus (ChuChu Rocket)**

**By the way, I used to think Ulala was smoking hot when I was younger, hence the reason I ended up describing her in such detail. As always, please feel free to review, and stay tuned for more! :D**


	2. Meet and Greet

Chapter 2 - Meet and Greet

**Author's note: Hello, everyone! I'm finally here with the next chapter of "The Speedy Chocolatier Showdown"! This story is based off the game _Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing_, but please note that there will be a few changes. The most obvious change is that the CatCF characters will be involved, but that should come as no surprise by this point. Second, for most of the tournament, there will be ten racers on the track instead of eight, although during the final four tracks, it will be down to eight racers. Third, some SEGA characters such as ****Beat from _Jet Set Radio_ and Zobio and Zobiko from _The House of the Dead_ have been scrapped from the story. I felt that including the others plus the CatCF characters will make for too many racers, so I decided to drop a few. Fourth, ****three of the tracks from the game will also be scrapped. The scrapped tracks were Outer Forest, Sewer Scrapes, and Deadly Route. They take place in the ******_The House of the Dead_** franchise, and since I don't know much about that game, they'll be replaced by three original tracks I'm designing. One will be from Crazy Taxi (where B.D. Joe is from), the next is from Space Channel 5 (where Ulala is from), and the third one will be from...guess where...CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY! :D Now, it's response time.  
**

**Gs33022, I had a crush on the 2005 Veruca as well. That was the whole basis for "Where All the Bad Nuts Go". The shipping terms you came up for Sonic and chili dogs, such as ****SpeedyFood and ****SpicyBlur made me laugh!**

**JOHNHAMMOND1993, I promise Eggman won't cause too much havoc during the race. ;) As for your question, were you talking about the theme park story you wanted me to write? Now, on with the story! :D**

_The Chocolate Room really does look different at nighttime_, Charlie Bucket noticed as he slowly rose up and out of his bed. Through the hole in the house's roof, he could see a virtual moon shining its pale light onto the soft green swudge that covered most of the ground, and how the chocolate river was frothing and foaming at the base of the waterfall. Obviously, Mr. Wonka was not kidding around when he said that it makes the chocolate light and frothy!

He checked the time on his iPad, which was placed on a small table beside his bed. It read 2:15 AM, much to his bewilderment. Since moving into the factory, he had never woken up that early for seemingly no reason.

_I guess I'll just go for a little walk around the Chocolate Room_, he thought. _At least it will allow me to clear my mind and live in the moment, and then I should fall asleep a lot easier once I get back._

Upon exiting his bedroom, Charlie silently tiptoed down the stairs, taking great care not to disturb the others, who were still fast asleep. As slowly as he could, he opened the front door and stepped out onto the grass, and he softly closed the door. There was no sign of anyone stirring inside the house, which came as great news for Charlie.

Charlie began walking towards the doors that led to the Entrance Hall, but as he got closer and closer to the doors, a shower of golden sparkles rained down, and from out of nowhere, a race car appeared right in front of him. The car's body was shaped just like a cocoa bean, and there was an open cockpit with a black bucket seat, a high-tech steering wheel with several buttons on it, and a holographic screen which displayed the speedometer and tachometer. He took a tentative step towards the car, and then another, then another.

_Charlie, what in the world are you doing?!_ he screamed in his head. _You can't get in that car! You'll wake up the whole factory with that thing!_

Despite his best efforts to drag himself away from the car, he awkwardly continued waking towards it, as if he was a puppet being controlled by an unseen being. Before long, he involuntarily climbed into the seat, buckled the five-point safety harness, reached for the key, put it into the ignition, and started the car. The engine rumbled to life, startling Charlie as well as everyone in the house.

"You woke us up, Charlie!" a voice shouted from inside, and an oddly grumpy Mrs. Bucket came running out of the house. "What are you doing in that car?"

Without thinking, Charlie slammed his right foot on the gas pedal. The car rocketed forward with a loud roar, crashing right through the doors and into the Entrance Hall. There might as well have been Stickjaw residue on the accelerator, because no matter how hard he tried to yank his foot away from it, it was still glued to the floor. The car raced down the Entrance Hall, gaining speed with every passing second, and Charlie braced himself for the inevitable moment when he would collide head-on with the building's massive front doors...

* * *

Soft music suddenly filled Charlie's ears, and he opened his eyes to find out that he was still lying in his bed. He quickly reached for his iPad and cancelled the alarm that woke him up. The clock read 8:30 AM. _So it was all...a dream? Thank goodness!_

"Good morning, Charlie!" Grandpa Joe's voice rang from downstairs. "I hope you're ready for your special vacation!"

Charlie gasped as he internalized what time it was. The others were due to arrive in just an hour and a half. "Oh, _no_! I haven't packed my bag yet!" he cried. He reached for his bright-red suitcase, which was tucked away in an alcove that served as his closet, before placing it flat on the floor and undoing the zipper.

"We'll help you, Charlie," Mrs. Bucket said, and her footsteps barely made a sound as she climbed the stairs that led to Charlie's room. She found her son kneeling on the floor in front of his suitcase, systematically packing enough clothes into it to last the entire trip. While Charlie was finishing up, she put most of his toiletries into a bag, which went into the suitcase's opposite compartment.

"You don't have to worry about breakfast, dear," Mrs. Bucket told Charlie as she carefully packed his business suit into the bag. Mr. Wonka bought it for him a few years ago to wear on special occasions, which in this case, would be for tonight's dinner and opening ceremony. "It will be served during the flight to Station Square. Mr. Wonka said so himself."

"Thank you, Mom," Charlie responded as he packed the charging cables for both his iPad and iPhone into a separate compartment. After changing into a pair of black dress pants and a white collared shirt, he finally closed the suitcase and took it downstairs with him. "All right, I'm ready."

* * *

The clock struck ten before Charlie knew it. He wheeled his suitcase out of the house, and his family followed him towards the doors that led to the Entrance Hall. Much to his surprise, not only was Mr. Wonka standing there, but so were the other Golden Ticket winners and their guardians!

Augustus Gloop wore the same red-and-white striped shirt from the factory tour, but his chest now featured a six-pack instead of a blob of fat. He was scarfing down on a chocolate protein bar which was held in his left hand, and his right hand waved at Charlie. Beside him was an orange suitcase, which was adorned with Wonka stickers.

Mr. Gloop's head was completely devoid of hair, with the exception of a reddish-brown mustache. He wore a shirt that was identical to Augustus', along with an oversized pair of blue jeans, and brown leather boots over his feet. Mrs. Gloop's hair was done in a beehive style, much like how she appeared back in 2005. She wore a purple dress and black leather boots.

Veruca Salt had her chocolate-brown hair tied into an elaborate bun, and she wore a light-pink dress, pink stockings with red hearts, and black dress shoes. On her left wrist was a silver Rolex watch that was covered in tiny diamonds and rubies. She carried a pink suitcase with her.

Mr. Salt wore a dark-blue suit with a white shirt and mahogany tie, along with perfectly-ironed black pants, a black leather belt with a silver buckle, and shiny black shoes. Mrs. Salt had her medium-blonde hair tied into a bun, and she wore a white dress that went down to her ankles. Below it was a pair of white high-heeled shoes on her feet. On her left wrist, she wore the same type of watch as her daughter, and much to Mr. Wonka's disgust, a half-smoked cigarette was clutched between her right index and middle fingers.

Violet Beauregarde wore a black tank top, matching black athletic shorts, black socks, and black runners. She wore an orange athletic wristband on her left wrist, and a blue one on the other. Her blonde hair, which had grown much longer since the tour, flowed gracefully down her shoulders. Her left hand was clutching the handle of her black suitcase.

Violet's mother grew her hair slightly longer as well, and her attire was identical to her daughter's, minus the wristbands.

Mike Teavee's hair was done in a fohawk, and he wore a black Cannibal Corpse T-shirt, skinny blue jeans, and black runners. He carried a black suitcase that was decorated with an assortment of video game logos. True to Mr. Wonka's word, he had shrunk back to his normal height just a few weeks after his unfortunate stunt in the Television Room.

The remnants of Mr. Teavee's thin brown hair were mostly gone, leaving him with a shiny bald spot on top of his head. He wore the same perfectly round, gold-rimmed glasses that he did during the tour, and he was dressed in a black suit and tie. Mrs. Teavee's curly hair was mostly brown, although there were more than a few streaks of silver hair that made themselves known. She wore a white button-down collared shirt, tan pants, and black dress shoes.

Willy Wonka turned around to address his guests, pulling out a stack of cue cards as he did so.

"Dear guests," he said, reading from the first card, "welcome back to the factory! In case you don't remember, my name is Willy Wonka!"

"Nice to meet you, Villy Vodka," Mr. Gloop said in his thick German accent, raising his hand slightly to acknowledge him. "Er, Vonka, I mean."

The top-hatted chocolatier awkwardly smiled back at him. "Nice to meet you, too." He pulled out his next card. "Now, everyone, I think you all know what you're here for. Are you excited?" Cheers erupted from the group, although Mike had a slightly skeptical look on his face.

"Mr. Wonka," Mike asked, "are we really going to meet—"

"Once again, you _really_ shouldn't mumble!" Mr. Wonka told him. "It's kinda bumming me out. Now, where was I? Oh yes!" He pulled out another card. "The parents have been invited to watch the race on our enormous screen in the Projection Room! As for you kids—"

"_Technically_, we're teenagers," Violet interrupted.

"Anyway," Willy resumed, "we will be driven to the airport by one of my loyal Oompa-Loompas, and then we will board my private jet." He and Charlie couldn't help but smile as everyone's faces suddenly lit up with excitement, except for Veruca, since her family already owned a private jet.

"Oh my gosh! A _private_ jet?!" Augustus blurted out, completely astonished.

"Precisely!" Willy replied, giggling. "But it's not just _any_ old private jet! Most of 'em are those puny little jets, but not mine! I've got a _jumbo_ jet, a Boeing 747!" At last, Veruca's jaw dropped in astonishment. "Come on, everyone! Let's boogie!"

"Wait!" Veruca cried. "I still haven't said goodbye to Daddy!"

Mike rolled his eyes. _She _still_ calls him Daddy, seriously?_

After everyone followed suit and said their goodbyes, Mr. Wonka and Charlie led Augustus, Veruca, Violet, and Mike down the Entrance Hall towards the main doors, where a purple limousine waited for them just beyond in the courtyard.

* * *

Willy Wonka's private jumbo jet had a sleek white fuselage adorned with the Wonka logo in huge red letters. The wings were painted a brilliant shade of purple, and so were the plane's four jet engines. After handing their suitcases to ground personnel and ascending a set of stairs that led up to the jet from the tarmac, Mr. Wonka and Charlie led the awestruck group into a circular foyer. A miniature replica of the factory, similar to the one that Charlie kept in his cupboard, was situated inside a glass display case. A curved staircase led up to the second floor, where the cockpit and the Oompa-Loompas' quarters were located. To the left was a door that led into Mr. Wonka's private suite, and to the right was a short hallway that provided access to the remainder of the jet's interior.

"Come on, everyone!" Mr. Wonka beckoned. "We don't have all day to just stand here! Let us show you around."

First, the group was led into the dining room. The centerpiece was a long, rectangular marble table with six beige leather chairs on each side, plus one at either end, providing enough space for fourteen people to eat at once. Bamboo placemats were positioned on the table in front of each chair, and on each one was a ceramic plate, silver cutlery, a red cloth napkin, and an elegant stemmed drinking glass. In the center of the table, there was a wide selection of drinks, ranging from milk and orange juice to the finest types of wine and whiskey. Above the table, there was an ultramodern chandelier made from steel pipes that stuck out in all directions from the ceiling, with an LED light at the end of each pipe that bathed the table in white light. At the far end of the room was a spacer wall with a built-in flat panel TV that showed the jet's current position, altitude, and airspeed. In this case, it was still parked at the airport.

Beyond the spacer wall was a lounge that was naturally lit by a row of small windows on each side, plus a series of small lights overhead. On the left side of the lounge, three black leather couches were positioned around a glass coffee table. On the right side was a row of computers, and towards the back of the room, there was a bar that served alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, complete with 1950's style stools with red vinyl cushions and chrome trim. Lastly, there was another TV that showed the plane's current position.

Further back, there was a short hallway with a door on each side. The door on the left led into a large galley, where breakfast was being prepared by the Oompa-Loompa chefs. The door was closed, but the group could hear the sounds of conversation, food sizzling on the stove, and pots and pans being frantically moved around. The door on the right led into one of the jet's lavatories, complete with a sink, toilet, and shower. After passing the doors, the hallway continued, but on each side was a glass display case that was filled with artifacts and memorabilia from the Buckets' old house, as well as tools and journal entries from Willy's trip to Loompaland.

At the end of the hallway, there was a door that led into a dorm-style "bedroom" with plush red carpet and six beds, and on the ceiling, there were hundreds of tiny, pulsing lights that were meant to simulate the stars twinkling in the night sky. At the aft end of that room, a sliding door provided access to a second lavatory. This lavatory, however, had a bidet as well as a regular toilet, and there was a Jacuzzi tub. There was also a small closet filled with warm towels and blankets.

Charlie and Mr. Wonka led everyone back into the dining room. The entire group had utterly astonished expressions on their faces.

"So, what do you think?" Mr. Wonka asked, putting his gloved hands on his hips.

"It's amazing!" Veruca exclaimed. "Even Daddy would say he'd want a jet like this!"

"Incredible," Violet replied with a smile.

"I like it," Mike said.

Lastly, Augustus said, "It's great, but I'm getting hungry!" The others nodded in response.

"Well, seat yourselves!" Charlie said, and everyone happily sat down at the table. "Breakfast will be served sooner than later."

Doris, one of the highest-ranking Oompa-Loompas who called the factory home, promptly entered the dining room from upstairs.

"Good morning, everyone!" she said while curtsying to the group. "Welcome aboard. I will be your pilot for our two-hour flight to Station Square International Airport. Before we take off, it is mandatory that we go over the safety instructions."

After telling everyone how to apply the oxygen masks in case of sudden decompression and how to wear the life jackets, as well as showing everyone the locations of the emergency exits and how to perform certain procedures in the event of an accident, she bid farewell and walked up the stairs to the cockpit, where she began taking control of the massive jet. A slight whine was heard from the engines as the plane began to move.

While slowly taxiing towards the runway, a chime was heard from the jet's PA system.

"Attention, this is your pilot, Doris," Doris' voice sounded over the speakers. "It's a beautiful day both out here and at Station Square, with nothing but clear skies for the duration of our flight. Breakfast will be served once we reach our cruising altitude of 43,000 feet. Enjoy your flight!"

The jet reached the runway a few minutes later, and everyone turned to look out the windows as the roaring engines thrust the plane down the long strip of tarmac. The airport quickly vanished out of sight, and in less than two minutes, the majestic aircraft was already flying high above the clouds.

* * *

"Good morning once again," Doris said over the PA system about twenty minutes after takeoff. "We have reached our cruising altitude of 43,000 feet. Our current airspeed is 504 knots, or 580 miles per hour. There will be some nice weather at our destination, with the temperature expected to be 80.6 degrees Fahrenheit, or 27 degrees Celsius by the time we arrive."

"I _knew_ I should have been wearing shorts instead," Mike grumbled, earning a stern look from Mr. Wonka.

"Anyway, the chefs will be here with your breakfast in just a few short moments, so sit back, relax, and enjoy."

Augustus felt his stomach rumbling, and he eagerly turned his head to look past the lounge towards the hallway where the galley was located. Charlie, Veruca, Violet, and Mike did the same. Sure enough, the door to the galley slid open, and a team of six Oompa-Loompas walked out with steaming hot plates in their gloved hands. Each Oompa-Loompa was dressed in a white double-breasted jacket, black and white trousers, a purple apron, and a tall, white toque. The Oompa-Loompas lowered plates consisting of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, French toast, and various fruits onto each person's placemat.

"Bon Appétit," the head chef said before leading the others back towards the galley. Everyone except Augustus took the time to place their napkins onto their laps. Augustus just started eating immediately, much to Veruca's displeasure.

"Seriously, you could use better table manners," she said as she began gingerly cutting one of her sausages into pieces with her knife.

"Even _I_ know better," Mike added.

"Now, now," Mr. Wonka said in an attempt to break up a potential squabble. "Are you guys looking forward to meeting Sonic and his friends?"

"I still have a hard time believing they're actually real," Mike responded, "but it should be interesting."

"Mr. Wonka," Violet chimed in, "What will we do once we arrive at the airport?"

"Well," Mr. Wonka said, "dinner will be at six o'clock this evening, but of course, we'll be arriving at the resort via taxi quite a while before then. We'll have more than enough time to head to our rooms and unpack, and who knows, you just might end up meeting the other racers as you explore the resort. The only requirement is that you _must_ be in the restaurant no later than six in the evening."

"Got it," everyone else said at once, and they happily enjoyed the rest of their meal.

Roughly a half-hour later, after the chefs cleared the table, everyone wandered off and did their own thing for the remainder of the flight. Charlie and Veruca sat on one of the lounge's couches, having a conversation with each other about how they've been doing since the tour. Violet and Mike were playing video games on the computers, an Oompa-Loompa was supplying Augustus with a heap of various snack foods, and Willy Wonka retreated to his private suite for some last-minute grooming in his luxurious bathroom.

It wasn't all that long before everyone was told to sit down on the couches in the lounge to prepare for landing. Charlie had his eyes on the TV, watching as the dotted line between the plane and Station Square International Airport shortened with each passing minute. The numbers at the bottom of the screen that indicated their current airspeed and altitude were steadily decreasing, and everyone looked out the jet's small windows to see a vast metropolis spread out below them.

"So _that's_ Station Square," Mike said with an awestruck look on his face. "Impressive."

Mr. Wonka pointed towards a large, white building with a red roof, located in front of a serene beach. "Do you guys see that hotel over there? That's Hôtel de Blanc, where we will be staying. And see that island just over there? I've been told that's where the races will be held. Apparently, there are several different tracks all on that one island!"

"Wow," Violet said, her expression no different than Mike's. "Well, I may be impressed now, but once my method of locomotion changes from legs to wheels, _watch out, because I am going to win this race_!"

Mike glanced at Violet. "I wouldn't say that if I were you. I've played plenty of racing games and driven in enough simulators to know how it all works."

"I wouldn't say _that_ if I were you," Violet mocked, causing everyone else to laugh.

The jumbo jet descended even lower, and before long, they felt an ever-so-slight bump as the wheels finally touched the runway. Still traveling at breakneck speed, they watched as the hydraulic flaps on the wings began to rise, and the engines roared once again as the thrust reversal doors opened to help slow the plane down. Seconds later, everything became much quieter as the plane steered off the runway at a relatively slow pace.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Station Square International Airport," Doris announced. "The local time is currently 1:24 PM. We'll be taxiing for a just a few minutes until we reach our designated parking spot, so please remain seated until then. On behalf of myself, Doris, and the rest of the flight crew, thanks for flying with us, and we wish you good luck with the races! We will be watching you on TV back at the factory along with your guardians. Once again, thank you." Everyone clapped and cheered in response.

"Time to go, everyone," Charlie said once the plane was finally parked. He and Mr. Wonka led the group back through the dining room towards the foyer. Doris was standing there, waving goodbye to everyone as the group stepped out onto the stairs, squinting in pain as their eyes tried to adjust to the bright sunlight. Once their feet met terra firma at long last, the ground personnel brought their suitcases out of the cargo hold, reuniting them with their owners.

"Thank you so much," Mr. Wonka said to the ground personnel. Some of the crew began driving back to the airport, and others were standing nearby as a fuel truck pulled up to begin the process of refueling the plane for the Oompa-Loompas' flight back home.

"Yo, everyone!" an excited voice came from behind them. It was B.D. Joe. "My name's B.D. Joe, and I'll be driving yeh guys to the resort lickety-split in my van! You all ready? Let's _go_!"

* * *

As usual for him, B.D. Joe was taking Willy Wonka and the others on a joyride through the busy traffic that crowded the streets of Station Square.

"This is just like going for a ride in the Great Glass Elevator!" Mr. Wonka said, laughing with joy as the van drifted around a sharp corner.

"I don't like this!" Veruca whined. "Let me off!"

B.D. Joe shook his head. "Aw, c'mon, lady! We'll be there in just two minutes at the speed I'm driving!"

True to his word, after two more minutes of swerving around corners, weaving in and out of dense city traffic, and zooming through intersections at sizzling speeds, B.D. Joe's van screeched to a stop outside the hotel's entrance.

"Wow, what a ride!" Charlie said, wiping the sweat from his forehead as he exited the van. "Thanks, B.D. Joe!"

"My pleasure!" B.D. Joe said as the others got out. Mr. Wonka and Violet had grins on their faces, but Augustus, Veruca, and Mike were all hunched over, doing everything they could to avoid regurgitating their breakfast onto the ground. "I would have driven you all in my nice yellow cab instead, but it's currently being tuned up to become my race vehicle! You'll get to see your vehicles later this evening, too!" The cabbie opened the hatch at the rear of the van, and everyone grabbed their suitcases.

"I'll be with you shortly," B.D. Joe said after closing the hatch. "I just gotta park my van." He climbed back into the vehicle, and with the sound of screeching tires, the van zoomed out of sight in a cloud of white tire smoke.

Willy held his arm out towards the doors that led into the main building. "So, shall we enter?"

Once everyone made it inside the lobby, Rebecca and the rest of her team greeted their new guests in the same fashion as the night before.

"Welcome to Hôtel de Blanc, everyone," she said. "My name is Rebecca, and I'm one of the executive directors of All-Stars Racing! Of course, I know who _you_ guys are, since I saw you all on TV before the tour back in 2005. I'll admit, though, that creepy puppet show kinda gave me nightmares for a while afterwards." Mr. Wonka laughed nervously in response.

"It's very nice to meet you, Rebecca," Charlie replied with a smile.

"Thanks, Charlie," Rebecca said, clasping her hands together. "Now, you guys will be staying at a secluded hotel located at the far end of the beach. Sonic and the others are staying there as well, so you'll probably end up running into some of them before dinner. You'll be given your electronic room key, a map of the area, the itinerary for the duration of the event that shows you when and where you should be at specific times, and of course, your car keys." Violet gave her a thumbs-up.

"Where exactly are the races being held?" Veruca queried.

"There's a man-made island not too far away from here," Rebecca answered, "and that is where all the race tracks are located. A ferry will take all of us there each morning before the races begin, and it will bring us back to the resort each evening in time for dinner. The island consists of several different themed areas, sort of like Disneyland or Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. We even themed one of the tracks on the appearance of your chocolate factory, although since we've only seen various images on the Internet, I cannot guarantee how accurate the theming will be, but who knows? You might like it." She nervously chuckled afterwards. "At least, I _hope_ you will."

"Any more details on what the layout of the island is like?" Mike eagerly asked, wanting to know more.

"Remember how I said it's like Disneyland? If you know what Disneyland is like, there is a long street that stretches all the way to the center of the park, and since each of the themed areas radiates out from the center, it is pretty easy to get around. The island has a similar layout, so you shouldn't worry too much about getting lost. Now, whenever you're ready, you may make your way to the dune buggies located on the beach. They'll drive you to the hotel. Please remember to meet me back here at six o'clock this evening. Have fun!"

* * *

"Well, this is a nice area," Veruca said as she entered her room, which had the exact same layout and features as the rooms that Sonic and his friends were staying in. 427 was the number on the door. Charlie was assigned the room next to it, labeled 428. Mr. Wonka moved into Room 429, Violet occupied Room 430, Mike entered Room 431, and Augustus sauntered into Room 432.

Once Veruca finished unpacking her suitcase, she quickly changed into a pink swimsuit and slathered copious amounts of sunscreen all over her body. After putting her key card into a small pink purse, she walked over to Charlie's room and lightly knocked on the door.

"Charlie, are you in there?" she asked. Footsteps were heard from inside, and Charlie opened the door to see Veruca waiting for him. He had just finished changing into a pair of blue swim trunks, a plain orange T-shirt, and black sandals. "I'm ready whenever you are."

"Okay, Veruca," Charlie said, putting his room card into a watertight pocket on the side of his swim trunks. "Let's go." He took Veruca's hand, and after a short walk down the hallway, they descended a stairwell that led to the ground floor.

Still holding hands, Charlie and Veruca exited the building and proceeded to leisurely stroll along the hot, white sand. All around them, there were people tanning themselves on the beach chairs, building sand castles, and enjoying their time in the crystal-clear water.

"This is quite the resort," Charlie said to Veruca as they walked past an outdoor seafood restaurant. "And to think that we'll be burning a whole lotta rubber during the next several days here!"

"I know!" Veruca replied with a radiant smile. "I can't wait to find out what Daddy thinks of this place. He'll definitely want to go on vacation here with me and my mom. Oh, and you can come along, too! That way, you'll get to know my parents better."

"Well, thank you so much," Charlie said. "I'd appreciate it."

Not far away, Amy kept an eye on Charlie and Veruca as they continued walking down the beach. _If only Sonic could be enjoying this moment with me, just like those two!_ she thought. She sighed as the two teenagers disappeared around a corner.

"Hey, Amy!" A voice from above snapped her out of her thoughts. She looked up to see Tails flying high above her. "What's the matter?"

She waited until the fox landed in front of her. "Nothing, really," she replied. "I'm just...feeling kind of lonely."

"It's okay," Tails said. "I'm here to keep you company. Plus, Willy Wonka and the others arrived here not long ago."

"Really?" Amy asked, tilting her head to one side.

"Yes!" Tails said with excitement. "I'm sure they're just unpacking their bags right now, so you'll see them shortly!"

Meanwhile, Charlie and Veruca had just ordered two cones of Wonka's Never-Melting ice cream. Charlie chose chocolate, and Veruca chose coconut. The person behind the counter gave them their cones, and they walked back down the beach in the direction they came from.

"It's nice how everything is free here," Charlie remarked as he happily began to lick the ice cream.

"Hey, Charlie," Veruca said, gesturing towards Tails and Amy off in the distance. "Do you think those might be Sonic's friends?"

"I'm not sure," Charlie replied. "Let's find out."

Amy and Tails spotted them right away.

"Hey!" Tails called out. "Is it just me, or do you look familiar, like I've seen you before?" Charlie and Veruca exchanged looks.

"Well," Charlie said, "I am Charlie Bucket, the heir of Willy Wonka's chocolate factory."

Veruca stepped forward. "And I'm Veruca Salt. It's very nice to meet you both." She briefly curtsied after introducing herself.

"So _that's_ where I recognized you from!" Tails exclaimed. "I'm Miles Prower, but most people just call me Tails. I'm Sonic's best friend."

"My name is Amy," the pink hedgehog said. "Are you two..._boyfriend and girlfriend_?"

Charlie blushed, and he and Veruca awkwardly glanced at each other. "Uhhhhh..."

"I take that as a yes," Amy curtly responded. "I'm Sonic's girlfriend, even though he doesn't seem to treat me like one. Then again, he is always on the run, so I guess I could cut him some slack for that."

"Hey, Amy!" Ulala called out from nearby. "I see you made some new friends."

"Charlie and Veruca," Amy said as Ulala made her way over to the group, "This is my friend, Ulala. Ulala, this is Charlie Bucket and Veruca Salt."

"That's a cool name, Ulala!" Veruca said, smiling at the pink-haired reporter. "Are you racing in this competition as well?"

"I certainly am," Ulala replied as she fixed one of her pigtails. "The only thing better than reporting a race on Space Channel 5 is being right in the middle of the action!"

"Is that why you're wearing a headset?" Charlie asked, pointing at the white headset Ulala was wearing.

"Of course!" Ulala said with a smile. "I'm a news reporter. I also love to dance!"

"That's great, Ulala!" Veruca replied. "I enjoy shopping, for the most part." Both Amy's and Ulala's faces lit up with excitement.

"Me too!" they both said at the same time.

"What do you normally like to shop for?" Amy asked Veruca.

"Mostly expensive clothes," Veruca answered. "How about you?"

"I like to buy clothes as well," Amy replied, "but I'll do pretty much _anything_ to impress Sonic."

"I wear a different uniform in just about every news report," Ulala added.

"Wow," Veruca said, astonished. "Your wardrobe must be even bigger than mine!"

While the girls were lost in their conversation, Tails and Charlie were happily talking about Willy Wonka's jet.

"So you flew in a Boeing 747, and Willy Wonka _owns_ that plane?" Tails asked.

"That's correct, Tails," Charlie happily replied. "Then again, his chocolate factory is fifty times as big as any other, so naturally, he would need to have a plane that's much bigger than any other private jet."

"Exactly what kind of engines does it use?" Tails inquired. "I'm just curious." Unfortunately for Charlie, since he left his phone in the hotel room, he was not ready to give the fox an honest answer. "If you don't know, that's still perfectly okay with me."

"I'll look it up later, and I'll tell you while we're having dinner," Charlie told him. "Deal?"

"Deal!" Tails replied, giving Charlie a high-five.

* * *

In the lobby of the hotel they were staying at, Mike and Shadow sat beside each other on a black leather couch.

"So you're a special agent for G.U.N. from what I've heard?" Mike asked the red-and-black hedgehog, who nodded in response.

"Yes, Mike," Shadow spoke softly, avoiding eye contact with the teenager. "And if it weren't for my friendship with Maria Robotnik and my failed attempt to avenge her death, I never would have been offered a position with them. Now, the name G.U.N. might sound sinister, but it's simply an abbreviation for Guardian Units of Nations, our military organization. I'm here to protect humanity from danger by any means possible."

"Most interesting," Mike said. "Do you know how to hack computers? I'm just curious."

"Of course," Shadow replied, looking at him. "I presume you hack computers as well?" Mike nodded. "Who knows, maybe I just _might_ refer you to G.U.N. when you're a little older."

* * *

"Hey, buddy, take it easy!" Big said as Augustus scarfed down at least four scallops in one go. They were sitting across from each other at a table in the outdoor seafood restaurant.

"Hey, I'm hungry," the German boy mumbled.

"But dinner will be served in just a couple of hours," Big told him. "Can't you eat just a _little_ slower and take the time to savor the flavor?" Augustus shrugged and continued eating without even glancing at the large purple cat. Big got up from his chair and carried his plate of cod over to another table, where B.D. Joe just so happened to be sitting. The cabbie was happily eating a single fillet of salmon.

"Yo, Big!" B.D. Joe greeted him with a friendly wave. "What brings you here?"

"Not much," Big said. "I just wanted a little snack before our formal dinner this evening. I found one of Charlie's friends, Augustus Gloop, but he's more interested in his food than anything else, so I decided to sit with you instead."

"Ah, that's just how it works sometimes," B.D. Joe replied just before he finished the last bite of his salmon.

"I'm just curious, why did you drive us here in a van yesterday?" Big inquired.

"Because," B.D. Joe said proudly, "the taxi that I normally drive is being professionally tuned up by Station Square's finest mechanics to become the vehicle I'll be racing in! I can hardly wait to see how much better it handles this time around!"

"I wonder what I'll be driving," Big said.

"You'll find out soon," B.D. Joe replied with a wink.

* * *

Dr. Eggman was still tirelessly turning wrenches and welding parts together for his new vehicle in the workshop attached to his room.

"All right, almost finished," he said as he put down one of his many wrenches. He rubbed his hands with glee as he sat down at one of the computers, furiously typing in the last few lines of code to program his vehicle's computer system. He compiled the code afterwards, and it returned with no errors, just as he expected. "Perfect!" he cried jumping up and down for joy. "My newest creation is FINALLY ready! Better watch out, Sonic, because I _will_ claim victory over you this time! HAHAHAHA!"

* * *

Six o'clock finally arrived, and all twenty-one racers (or twenty-four if you count each of the four ChuChus) met up with Rebecca in the lobby of Hôtel de Blanc. All of the racers were wearing formal attire for this special occasion, even Dr. Eggman.

"Welcome back, everyone," Rebecca said. "Thanks for dressing up. Dinner will take place in the same restaurant as last night. There will be a presentation after dinner where we will go over the rules for the tournament, and then we will head to the island where the races will be held. A temporary stadium has been set up, and the opening ceremony will take place over there. That way, we don't have to spend so much time traveling to and fro, and you should be able to fall asleep at a relatively decent time. Follow me!"

The group entered the restaurant, but the place had a more formal atmosphere to it than the previous evening. The tables were covered with the same black tablecloths as before, but this time, there were fancy golden plates on top of poppy-red placemats, forks, knives and spoons made from pure gold, and drinking glasses made out of crystal. The buffet was closed. Instead, a menu was placed just to the right of each plate, each one resting on top of a white napkin. A row of candles on each table provided an extra sense of elegance to the whole area.

"Wow," Charlie said as he took a seat to the left of Veruca at the nearest table. She was already looking through the menu, stroking her neck with her index finger as she pondered what to order.

Sonic sat down to Charlie's left, and his jaw dropped upon noticing Amy walking towards him. Her outfit had completely changed.

Amy's dress was much different from her usual red one. The dress was made out of light-pink lace, and hundreds of sparkling beads were interwoven into the fabric. It was also slightly longer, leaving only the lower half of her legs exposed. A diamond tiara substituted her red headband, and instead of her trademark red-and-white boots, she wore white high-heeled shoes that featured a ruby embedded in the front of each one.

"How do you like my new dress, Sonic?" she asked him, spinning around once like a ballet dancer. "It's the new one that I bought at the airport yesterday."

"It's stunning, Ames," Sonic said. "I love it."

"Thank you so much," Amy said as she sat down in her chair beside Sonic. "That meant a lot to me."

Everyone took the next few minutes to read through the menu and select their orders for appetizers, entrées, and desserts. For appetizers, there was a choice between white truffles, osetra caviar, escargot, pâté, garlic cheese bread, onion rings, chili dogs, and roasted olives. The entrées were prime steak, a whole lobster, asparagus stuffed chicken breasts, giant prawns, and make-your-own pizza. For sides, there were various types of fries, broccoli florets, Mac & cheese, sautéed asparagus and wild mushrooms, and gourmet mashed potatoes. Last, but certainly _far _from least, there were over two dozen dessert options, including various cheesecakes, pies, and several varieties of ice cream.

It wasn't long before the waiters and waitresses arrived to take everyone's orders and ask what they would like to drink. Most of the adults requested either wine or beer, and those who were underage asked for sodas, fancy milkshakes, or water. Soon, they came back with everyone's drinks and appetizers.

"That's some fast service there!" Sonic complimented one of the waiters as he gave the hedgehog his appetizer. Of course, he ordered a plate of chili dogs.

"Thank you, Sonic!" the waiter replied. "I'll make sure to tell the head chef you said that."

Knuckles was trying to have a conversation with Opa-Opa, but since Opa-Opa was a sentient spacecraft, all he could do to reply was let out a series of blips and bleeps that the echidna could not understand. Knuckles quickly gave up and went back to eating the roasted olives he ordered.

"Tails!" Charlie said, getting the fox's attention. "I did my research. The engines used in Willy Wonka's plane are Rolls-Royce RB211 turbofans."

"Interesting!" Tails said with a grin. "Thanks for answering my question. I'll admit, I would be interested in checking out this plane."

"Well, it's back at the airport where the factory is," Charlie replied, "but it will be flown here again to bring me and my friends back home after the tournament is over, so you might be able to check it out then!"

Not far away, Augustus Gloop was chowing down on a plateful of onion rings. He was so engrossed in his food that he didn't even notice who was sitting next to him.

"Do you always eat like that?" Ulala asked him. Only then did Augustus finally lift his head up from his plate, and he turned to look at the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. A blush formed on his cheeks as their gazes met.

"Ooh-la-la!" he said, completely unaware that was how her name was pronounced.

Ulala giggled. "That's my name!"

"Really?" Augustus said in disbelief.

"I'm serious," she told him. "It's spelled U-L-A-L-A. What's your name?"

"Augustus Gloop," he said. "As you can see, I love to eat."

Ulala frowned. "I can see that."

"Sorry to disappoint you, Ulala," Augustus regretfully apologized.

"No, no, please don't apologize," Ulala said. "I...just think you could use better manners, that's all. You'll learn eventually. Anyway, where are you from?"

"Düsseldorf, Germany," Augustus answered.

"Ah, I know where that is," Ulala responded. "I haven't been there yet, but I did learn about it as a child. As for me, I was born in Japan, on May 30, 2477."

Augustus' eyes bugged out. "So...you're from the _future_?!"

Ulala nodded. "That is correct, Augustus. I am a news reporter for Space Channel 5."

At the other end of the restaurant, Dr. Eggman had long since finished his appetizer, and he busied himself with drawing diagrams of two new robots that he would manufacture back at his main base after the end of the tournament. The first unfinished drawing was a robot whose head was composed of a red semispherical cap with a smaller black semisphere under it, where his face would be. He named this mechanical creation Orbot. He was starting to draw the head of the other robot, and this one was going to resemble a cube. The name "Cubot" was scrawled above this robot.

Suddenly, he was interrupted by one of the waitresses, who was holding a plate of prime steak and gourmet mashed potatoes. The doctor quickly moved his drawings out of the way to make room for her to place his food on the table.

"I'm just curious," the waitress said with a suspicious tone in her voice, "are those robots that you're drawing?"

"Yes," the doctor grinned, "but they'll just be my personal assistants."

"Okay, then," the waitress said before walking away. "Enjoy your dinner."

Meanwhile, the other waiters and waitresses were handing everyone else their entrées.

"Ooh, this looks delicious!" Big said, rubbing his belly as he laid eyes on his whole lobster and Mac & cheese. "Thank you, waiter!"

As soon as Amy received her custom vegetarian pizza, she immediately whipped out her phone, snapped a photo of her food, and posted it to Instagram and Facebook.

Alex Kidd, who sat between Billy Hatcher and Knuckles, was happily gorging himself on his prime steak.

"You sure seem to be enjoying your food, you hungry boy," Knuckles said to Alex. "I just might begin calling you Alex Mann instead!" Everyone nearby burst out laughing, including Alex and Opa-Opa; the latter blipping and bleeping rapidly to show his appreciation for the echidna's joke.

"You're hilarious, Knuckles," Violet said before taking a bite of chicken.

"Anytime, karate girl!" he replied with a chuckle.

"How are your prawns?" Charlie asked Veruca, and she gave him a thumbs-up.

"They're delicious, Charles," she said. "Your pizza looks good as well." Charlie glanced down at his half-finished pizza, which was topped with ham and pineapple.

"Hawaiian is my favorite kind," he replied, winking at Veruca.

Amy, who had just finished her pizza, glanced towards Sonic as he finished the last bite of his prime steak.

"Well, we're both done at the same time," she remarked. "Ready for dessert?"

"I'm fine right now, thanks," Sonic said. "That might change when it does come around, though."

Shadow and Mike were sitting beside each other, and they were both eating pepperoni pizzas.

"Mike, when you were shrunk down via television, how exactly did the process work?" Shadow inquired. "Was it a shrink ray Mr. Wonka used on you?"

"No, Shadow," Mike answered. "It was a camera that was part of an invention called Television Chocolate. The premise is that if you take a photo of something and broadcast it on TV, it always comes out smaller on the other end."

"That's nonsense!" Shadow exclaimed. "What if you take a close-up image of an insect? They appear much bigger on the screen than they actually are."

"I know," Mike said. "Anyway, he demonstrated by placing an enormous Wonka Bar on a platform below the camera. It took a photo, and the chocolate bar appeared on the screen the same size as a regular one. I decided to try it out, and the system shrunk me down to just four inches in height."

Shadow was flabbergasted. "Wow. That sounds like something Dr. Eggman would come up with."

"Well, it wasn't him this time," Mike replied. "It was Willy Wonka. In order to get me back to my normal height, they had to stretch me out in the taffy puller, and I was ten feet tall and as thin as a wire. Thankfully, I shrunk back down to my regular dimensions over the course of a few weeks."

As for Willy Wonka, he was sitting with Rebecca at another table.

"So, you said we're attending the opening ceremony once dinner is over, am I right?" he asked her.

Rebecca smiled at the chocolatier, looking into his violet eyes.

"We'll go over the rules before that," she reminded him. "After the ceremony, everyone will be introduced to their vehicles, and we'll return to the hotel so that we can get some rest before the tutorials and qualifying laps tomorrow."

Roughly fifteen minutes later, everyone had finished their entrées, and the staff cleared the table before reappearing with everyone's desserts.

"Thank you very much!" Ulala said as a waiter handed her a bowl of cherry vanilla ice cream, complete with several different toppings. Another waiter presented Augustus with his order, which was a large slice of dark chocolate cake with copious amounts of chocolate icing. Augustus did his best to take smaller bites this time.

"It's quite rare that I have meals like this these days," Augustus said to Ulala. "The events that occurred during the factory tour traumatized me for a while, and during that time, I promised myself that I would live a healthier lifestyle."

"I can _definitely_ tell, Gus," Ulala said, beaming at Augustus as she watched him flex his thick, muscular biceps. "You truly are a handsome young man." Augustus blushed, and Ulala broke into a fit of giggles.

Eventually, Rebecca stood up from her table and stepped onto the wooden podium she used last night.

"Testing, testing," she spoke into the microphone, adjusting it so that she could be clearly heard. "Can everyone hear me?"

"Yes," the others all said at once.

"Perfect," Rebecca said. "I'm sure you've all met each other by now, so there's probably no need for further introductions. Let's just get to the rules. Please listen, as they are important. Each race will consist of ten racers. We'll first go for a test drive on the Whale Lagoon track, which will give you time to try out your vehicles. There will be two qualifying laps where all twenty-one vehicles will race at once. The first ten who make it across the finish line will _not_ make it into the first round; rather, the _next_ ten will, so those would be who came in eleventh to twentieth place. Those racers will take part in our first official race at Whale Lagoon the following day. They will race on three other tracks, and once that first round of four tracks has been completed, the next ten racers who haven't raced yet, as in those from first to tenth place on the qualifying laps, will race on the second round of four tracks. Since we have twenty-one racers here, that means that for the third round of four tracks, the last racer who still has not raced yet will join alongside the top nine racers with the most cumulative points, and whoever finishes the third round in _second_-last will be eliminated. I'll explain how first place and last place will work shortly, so don't worry. There's a valid reason as to why we'll eliminate the ninth-place racer at the end of the third round.

"For the fourth round, the _bottom_ ten racers on the overall list will be racing. For the fifth round, the top ten racers from the overall list will be racing, meaning that more racers are _guaranteed_ to be eliminated once the points from those two rounds are added up. During the second-last dinner, _all_ the points from before will be tallied up again, and the top _eight_ racers with the most points overall since the very beginning, regardless if you've been eliminated since then, will make it into the final round of four courses. All those points will determine the starting lineup for the fourth race of the sixth round, that is the final race in the tournament. During the final race, the racer who crosses the finish line first, _regardless_ of the total number of points, will be the one who wins the tournament.

"As I said, scores will be tallied up with points. The racer who crosses the finish line first gets ten points, then the second place winner will get nine, third will get eight, and so on. The racer in tenth place will get one point. Points will benefit everyone, even those who come in last. The racer in last place will start right at the front during the next race, giving them a winning advantage. This will present a major challenge for skilled racers, who will be placed at the very back. The other eight racers will be positioned randomly on the starting grid. That is the reason why the racer in second-last will be eliminated at the end of the third round; since the one in last place will carry on to start in first place in either the fourth or fifth round, depending on how many overall points he or she has accumulated up to that point in the tournament.

"During the race, you'll collect various items from item boxes on the track. They will include missiles, confusing stars that flip your view of the world upside down, rainbows that will obscure your vision, and plenty more. However, for those who aren't doing too well in the race, there's a possibility that you might pick up an All-Star move. Those are special moves you will perform to help you get back into the race, and they are unique to each individual." Rebecca sighed and nervously looked around. "Gosh, I _really_ hope I covered everything...oh, no I didn't. Just as a reminder, everyone, we'll be heading to the island via ferry for the opening ceremony. Then, you'll be introduced to your vehicles, and then we're coming back here. Does that sound good to you?" A chorus of cheers erupted throughout the room. "Excellent! Let's give a major round of applause to our talented chefs who worked hard to prepare this wonderful dinner!" One more roar of applause promptly ensued. "Follow me to the beach, everyone. It's time for the opening ceremony to begin!"

**Author's note: WOW! Over 9,200 words! This was the longest chapter I have _ever_ written in my entire life! I really hope you enjoyed it. Please feel free to review, and stay tuned for the opening ceremony! The qualifying laps will begin during the chapter after that, so don't go away! :)**


	3. The Opening Ceremony

Chapter 3 - The Opening Ceremony

**Author's note: Hey everyone, sorry about the long wait! The third chapter is finally here, and like the others, it will be a long one, so I really hope you'll enjoy it. :) Now, it's response time!**

**Augula, I'm afraid I won't be writing a oneshot, but don't worry, you WILL see Augustus and Ulala dancing in the next chapter, I promise! ;)**

**Gs33022, thank you so much for the input on how the Oompa-Loompas could have spiced up the safety instructions before the flight, but I won't be going back to include them, since I just feel like leaving it the way it is. However, I loved the idea, and I do hope that other people will see your review. :) You will see plenty of shipping moments in the next chapter, and there will be more character development as well. Speaking of shipping, this whole thing about shipping chili dogs is so hilarious that I honestly can't stop laughing every single time I do so much as _think_ about it! Which one do I want to be canon...SpicyBlur, I guess? It has a nice ring to it. XD**

**JOHNHAMMOND1993, B.D. Joe wouldn't be a character in Crazy Taxi if he wasn't a crazy driver! As for my character, I'd be either Sonic or Charlie. Now, on with the story! :D**

The journey to the island was relatively brief, consisting of a fifteen-minute ferry cruise. Most of the group stood on the top deck of the ship, silently gazing in awe at the brilliant sunset as it reflected off the water's surface. The only ones who weren't feasting their eyes on the incredible sight before them were Veruca, Violet, and Amy, who busied themselves by taking selfies and goofy Snapchat photos of each other.

"Perfect!" Amy exclaimed upon discovering a filter with several virtual images of Sonic. "Now I could say that I'm with my true love a dozen times over!"

Veruca was drawing cat ears and whiskers on her selfies, and Violet was adding several pink blobs on top of her photo.

"What are those supposed to be?" Amy asked the blonde-haired girl.

"They're supposed to represent bubblegum," Violet answered. "It's just some of the weird stuff I like to do with my selfies."

"Attention, passengers," a male voice suddenly interrupted, "we are now approaching All-Star Island. Please make your way towards the main gangway to disembark the ferry, but only once we're docked! We don't want anyone going for a swim this evening, _especially_ not Sonic!"

Nearly everyone burst out laughing, except for Shadow, who was doing his best to hide it with a smirk.

"Good one!" Violet said, nudging Mike with her elbow. "It's always nice when they have a sense of humor, isn't it?" Mike smirked at her in response.

Rebecca began leading everyone in single file down one of the ferry's narrow staircases. Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, the group emerged into a large room with floor-to-ceiling windows all around, and sliding glass doors in front.

"Wow, look, everyone!" Alex Kidd shouted in wonder, pointing at the island just in front of the ship. Scenery that ranged from seaside ruins and medieval castle ramparts to futuristic cities and a gargantuan red fortress were all situated on this one island. Through some of the structures, the stunned racers could see the twists and turns of just a few of the tracks that they would be racing on.

_I can't wait to know what the Oompa-Loompas think of this_, Mr. Wonka thought as he walked right up the window to get the best possible view of the island. _Wait! Strike that. I'm looking forward to seeing how the track that is supposed to represent my factory compares to the real deal. Hopefully they didn't make too many errors._

Before long, the ferry was docked, and an enormous ramp that connected the ship to its dock began to slide out from just underneath the floor. An alarm blared as the ramp extended towards the concrete dock barely faster than a snail, and after what felt like hours on end, the ramp made contact with the ground.

"Here we go, Sonic!" Amy said, grabbing onto the blue hedgehog's hand. They were the first to disembark the ship, and the others followed, albeit at a slightly more relaxed pace as they took in the sights before them. The entrance plaza was a spacious area that stretched far beyond the dock, complete with brass statues of all twenty-one racers arranged in two neat rows, large fountains along the sides of the path, and palm trees all around. At the far end was the main entrance, which consisted of a wide golden archway, and hanging just below the arch were the words: "WELCOME TO ALL-STAR ISLAND" in big gold letters. Below the archway, there were over fifty admission gates, complete with ticket booths, metal detectors, and the turnstiles which granted access to the island. There were also several other boats docked nearby, ranging from yachts and ferries to a mid-sized cruise ship.

"What are all these other boats doing here?" Augustus asked a nearby security guard as they approached the front gates.

"You must be with the other racers, right?" Augustus nodded. "Well, this Grand Prix is on a much larger scale than what you'd think. All those boats were loaded with people who came to witness the opening ceremony. The security team, including myself of course, counted every single person who paid for their ticket to get in. There are over nine-thousand people waiting for you guys in the arena right now. Unfortunately, I had to arrest one person because he showed up with a working, fully armed replica of one of Eggman's robots!"

Sonic overheard the conversation and approached the security guard with a fake look of disappointment on his face.

"Awww," Sonic playfully whined, "it's such a shame I wasn't here to destroy the robot myself!" The guard softly chuckled in response.

"Well, Sonic," he said, "maybe next time, you could join my team." He proudly tapped his security badge with a finger.

"Cool!" the blue hedgehog said with a grin before running towards Rebecca. "Are we almost ready?"

"We most certainly are," Rebecca replied. She swiftly led everyone through the gates, and they emerged onto a long, cobblestone path between numerous buildings that housed various shops, restaurants, and concession stands. Vibrant, upbeat music filled everyone's ears, and the smell of popcorn, pizza, and mini donuts wafted through the air. Since the public had taken their seats in the stadium beforehand, the path was nearly deserted.

"Hey there, space cats!" Ulala spoke into her headset. "Ulala here, reporting from All-Star Island!"

Augustus glanced in her direction before whispering to Charlie, "Ulala wasn't kidding when she said she's a news reporter! I bet she would really enjoy visiting the factory."

"Maybe she'll be racing on the track themed to Wonka's factory!" Charlie replied.

A smile spread across Augustus' face. "Right, I forgot about that one! I'll talk about it with her tomorrow."

Mike and Violet were walking alongside each other, although Violet kept her eyes locked on a nearby stall that sold hundreds of varieties of bubblegum.

"We'd better remember to come back here after," she suggested to Mike, gesturing with her arm towards the bubblegum stall.

"You can buy all the gum you want," Mike told her, "but I'm going to the shooting stall after." The stall he was pointing towards featured a pair of pellet guns positioned in front of a line of plastic ducks that were rotating at high speed on a conveyor.

Dr. Eggman was lagging behind everyone else, taking the time to feast his eyes on all the scenery and theming.

"This reminds me of my Incredible Interstellar Amusement Park that has yet to be opened!" he noticed. "Minus my Ultra-Accelerating Space Elevator, of course!"

"Bah!" Mr. Wonka interjected. "I already have an elevator that can take people to space, and the amusement rides in my chocolate factory are most certainly better than yours."

"Well, my elevator's bigger!" Dr. Eggman beamed.

"Oh, yeah?!" Mr. Wonka shouted. "I bet that I could make a bigger elevator than you! I will make...a Great Glass _Cargo_ Elevator!"

Suddenly, his face lit up, and a big smile came on his face. He gasped with pleasure.

"Hey, what a great idea!" Mr. Wonka smiled happily. "That will make transporting large objects around the factory much easier!"

Opa-Opa and Tails were flying high above the others, and the fox marveled at the sight of the arena that was constructed in the very center of the island. It was a gargantuan bowl-shaped structure made out of steel, and an enormous screen at one end displayed footage of the group as they walked (or in Tails' and Opa-Opa's case, flew) down the path.

At last, the group reached the arena. The doors opened, revealing a long corridor that was lined with ticket booths and concession stands. Rebecca led the twenty-one racers about fifty feet down the hallway before stopping in front of an unmarked pair of double doors with no handle.

"I got this," Rebecca said. She pulled out an access card and tapped it on a nearby sensor, and with a click and a whir, the doors automatically slid open for them. The group walked into a roomy, soundproof antechamber situated directly below the stands on the left side of the arena. There were metal benches positioned alongside each wall, and there was another door at the far end of the room that led into the arena from backstage. As the doors closed, the roar of the crowd was sharply cut off from earshot, and the antechamber became eerily silent.

"Now listen up, racers," Rebecca instructed. "The opening ceremony will begin in less than five minutes. I know you're all excited, but we do have some guidelines and procedures that we must follow. We will go through the door at the other end of the room, and it will lead into another room like this one, but beyond that is the entrance to the stage. Your names will be called one by one, and you'll make your grand entrance into the arena upon hearing your name. I will enter first, and then you'll enter as soon as your name is called, and you can do a little performance as well to show off some of your talents. That was the first rule. The other rule is specifically for Dr. Eggman: try not to cause too much havoc, okay?" The egg-shaped doctor frowned in disappointment. "It's for everyone's safety. Now, if you'd follow me, everyone, that would be great!"

After a trip down another enclosed corridor, Rebecca opened a door that led into the second antechamber, which was much bigger and far louder than the first. The group could now hear everything that was going on inside the arena, especially the ecstatic roar of the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen," a male announcer spoke, "please give Rebecca Smith, one of the directors of All-Stars Racing, a warm welcome!" Thunderous applause was heard from outside, and the corridor that led directly into the arena began to fill up with fog.

Rebecca checked the time on her phone. "Whew!" she sighed in relief. "I made it _just_ in time! Wish me luck!" And with that, she disappeared into the arena to do the honors of giving the opening speech.

"Who do you think will go first?" Augustus wondered while Rebecca's voice boomed over the arena's loudspeakers.

"Definitely not you," Violet muttered. "I know that for sure."

"Hey, I heard that!" Augustus blurted out, glaring at the blonde-haired girl.

"Well, it's true!" Violet shot back. "Sonic's probably going first."

"Be quiet," Dr. Eggman growled. "That ginger glutton's mindless blabbering is distracting me from my plans for world domination!"

Ulala shot a glare at the evil scientist. "Can't you be a _little_ more kind to Augustus, Dr. Eggman?"

Dr. Eggman snickered at her. "Heh, on second thought, space girl, I'll just come up with a plan to kick _you_ out of the tournament instead! HAHAHA!"

"Uh, I think you're breaching the contract," Tails said arrogantly.

"Contract, schmontract," Dr. Eggman huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Who cares? If one person is going to win this race, I can guarantee I'll be the one!"

"That Eggman guy makes Violet seem so charming in comparison," Mr. Wonka muttered under his breath. "But at least he gave me the idea to include the Great Glass Cargo Elevator in my factory."

"And now, the moment you've all been waiting for!" the announcer suddenly spoke, his thunderous voice booming throughout the entire arena. "Please welcome the one, the only, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG!"

The blue hedgehog whooped with excitement. "So long, everyone!" He winked at the group before speeding down the corridor and bursting into the arena in a supersonic blue streak. The crowd cheered ecstatically as Sonic dashed around the perimeter of the arena faster than the speed of sound before vaulting onto the stage. He turned to face the audience.

"Thank you!" Sonic said, wiping the sweat off his brow. "It's _great_ to be here! Are you ready?"

"Yeah!" the audience yelled as loudly as they could.

"That's not good enough! ARE YOU READY?"

"YEAH!"

"All right!" Sonic said excitedly. "Well, I must sincerely thank the team behind All-Stars Racing for making this event happen, and we promise the next several days will be absolutely spectacular and filled with high-octane action! Besides, I'm more than ready to kick some Ro-butt-nik any day of the year! What do you say to that?" More cheers erupted from the audience. "Thank you, everyone! See you at the races!"

"Next up is the world's smartest fox, Miles 'Tails' Prower!" the announcer said.

"Here I go!" Tails shouted from inside the antechamber. He pumped his fist into the air before taking off, his twin tails spinning madly like a helicopter as he flew into the arena. Everyone in the audience was left speechless as the fox performed barrel rolls, loop-de-loops, and countless other aerobatic maneuvers that would make any stunt pilot proud. Eventually, he came to a smooth landing beside Sonic.

"That was _amazing_, buddy!" Sonic congratulated, giving his best friend a high-five. "Now give it all you got on the track!"

Tails chuckled. "Will do, Sonic! And just like my speedy blue friend, I'd better give a shout out to the All-Stars Racing team, as well as everyone else who came! Take care!"

"Up next," the announcer said, his voice nearly drowned out by the excited crowd, "we have someone who really knows how to wield a giant hammer! Enter, Amy Rose!"

"You go, girl!" Veruca cheered as she watched Amy sprint towards the stage, madly swinging her Piko-Piko hammer to and fro. The crowd roared madly once the pink hedgehog made her appearance known.

"Hello, everyone!" Amy greeted, waving at the audience. "Amy Rose is here!"

"Show off your strength, Ames!" Sonic suggested, curiling up into a spiky ball. Amy frowned in confusion as the blue hedgehog stayed put.

"I think he wants you to whack him with your hammer," Tails suggested.

"If he wants it," Amy said confidently, "then he'll _get_ it!" She summoned all of her strength, and with one mighty swing of her fearsome hammer, she sent Sonic flying up and out of the arena like a baseball. The crowd oohed and aahed, astonished at Amy's display of power.

Even the announcer was astonished. "Wow, Amy! You oughta be a Major League Baseball player, 'cause Sonic's outta the park!" Amy softly giggled in response.

Seconds later, Sonic returned to the stage, giving Amy a thumbs-up while the audience applauded her performance.

"Thank you so much, everyone!" Amy said with gratitude before twirling around once like a ballerina. "Have a nice day!"

"Thank you for demonstrating your incredible strength, Amy!" the announcer said. "Next, we have someone who really knows how to roll with the punches, because he's the one who does the punching! Please give a warm welcome to Knuckles the Echidna!"

Amy looked over her shoulder, expecting Knuckles to make his grand entrance at any moment, only to hear a loud clang from behind as the double doors that led into the antechamber were sealed shut.

"What's going on?" Amy wondered.

"Just you wait," Tails replied. "If he does what I think he'll do, it's gonna be spectacular." The entire arena fell silent as the crowd eagerly watched in anticipation.

Seconds later, Knuckles barged right through the steel doors using his almighty fists. The force was so powerful that the doors were completely torn off their hinges, and the door on the right was sent flying about twenty feet through the air before landing on the ground with a loud, metallic crash.

"WOW! What a shocking display of power by Knuckles!" the announcer shouted over the deafening applause from the crowd. "Up next, we have Shadow the Hedgehog!"

"Show them what you've got," Mike said to the red-and-black hedgehog from inside the antechamber as he whipped out a green Chaos Emerald.

"Thanks, Mike," Shadow said, giving him the slightest hint of a smile. "CHAOS—" He vanished in a burst of green light.

"—CONTROL!" Shadow suddenly appeared in the arena next to Knuckles faster than he could blink.

"Wow! What an exemplary display of Chaos Control!" the announcer exclaimed. "Please give a major round of applause to Shadow!" The crowd cheered, and Shadow silently raised his right hand to show his gratitude.

Big made his entrance by holding his fishing rod aloft, swinging the lure around and around like a windmill. AiAi had encased himself in a plastic ball that was red on one side and transparent on the other, and he began to run inside it, much like a hamster, circling twice around the inside of the arena before reappearing on the stage. Amigo invited everyone to dance along to the rhythm of his maracas, and as Dr. Eggman joyously galloped into the arena, there was a comical mixture of cheering and booing from the audience.

"Well, you're no fun, aren't you?" Dr. Eggman groaned, causing nearly everyone in the stands to laugh at him for different reasons. "I solemnly swear I won't cause too much havoc during the races. I can assure you of that!" This time, most of the audience began cheering for him. "Thank you, everyone! You're so kind!"

B.D. Joe was the next person to make his grand entrance. The cabbie smiled at the audience, showing his pearly white teeth. "Yo, guys, what's up?! We're gonna have some fun tomorrow, is that right? GIMME A YES, EVERYONE!"

"Yes!" everyone shouted, pumping their fists into the air.

"Aw, c'mon, that wasn't loud enough!" The audience burst out laughing. "I SAID GIMME A FREAKING YES!"

"YES!"

"I still can't hear you! _Louder_!"

**"YES!"**

"Yo, that's more like it!" B.D. Joe grinned, giving the audience a double thumbs-up. "Thank you, everyone!"

Knuckles snatched the microphone from him. "He sure knows how to steal the show, doesn't he?" Once again, laughter ensued from the audience.

"YOU just stole the show, Knux!" a boy in the front row of the audience blurted through a megaphone. The echidna loudly snorted in response.

"Thanks, kid," Knuckles said. "Now, who's next, Mr. Announcer?"

"Oh, you'll get your answer right away!" the announcer's voice boomed. "Please welcome Billy Hatcher!"

Billy Hatcher was expertly running on top of an enormous egg as he rolled into the arena.

"Wow, talk about an _extraordinary_ balancing act!" the announcer cried. "Well done, Billy Hatcher!"

"Cock-a-doodle-doo!" Billy crowed. He jumped off his egg just as it began to crack, and he landed squarely on the stage. The audience gave him a standing ovation for his incredible stunt.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the announcer said, "we have four more racers who have yet to be called up before we begin inviting some special guests up here to join us!"

"Oh, boy," Augustus muttered from backstage, rubbing his sweaty hands on his pants in anticipation.

"Up next," the announcer spoke, "we have one heck of a good-looking dancin', swingin' news reporter who goes by the name of Ulala!" He quietly added, "What an interesting name."

"Wish me luck, everyone!" Ulala told the others. She gave Augustus a quick hug before prancing down the corridor, her arms and legs moving to and fro in highly exaggerated motions.

Within seconds, the pink-haired reporter entered the arena, and she raised her right arm high above her head, with her trademark blue microphone clutched in her left hand as she danced onto the stage.

"Hello, space cats!" she shouted into her microphone. "Are you all having a great time?" The audience cheered loudly once again, but Ulala was not quite satisfied. "I said, are you all having a GREAT time?!" A deafening roar erupted throughout the whole arena. "Now _that's_ more like it! This is Ulala reporting from All-Star Island, over and out! Spaaaace Channel 5!"

"Thank you, Ulala! Up next, we have Alex Kidd!" the announcer spoke, and the boy galloped onto the stage just a few seconds later.

"Hey, everyone!" Alex yelled, jumping up and down with excitement. "Are you as pumped up to watch the race as I am to be in it?"

"YES!" the audience shouted in unison.

"AWESOME!" the kid said with a grin, pumping his fist in the air before marching off to the side of the stage.

"Next, we have the ChuChus in their ChuChu Rockets! Come on out!"

At once, four small rockets shot out of the antechamber and into the arena. They each had a white fuselage, a red nose, four red stabilizer fins, and red nozzles at the back. Each rocket was occupied by one of the four tiny space mice, and they showed off their abilities by flying all around the arena, occasionally whizzing less than five feet above the spectators' heads. The ChuChus soon landed on the stage and hopped out of their rockets.

"The ChuChus may be tiny, but they're highly capable," the announcer added. "Better watch out, because they just might unleash Cat Mania, a feline foe to be most feared! Three cheers for...uh, no, make that FOUR cheers for the ChuChus!" Once again, the audience applauded as loudly as they could.

"Fantastic, everybody!" the announcer applauded. "But there's one more left before we introduce our special guests! Give a hand to Opa-Opa!"

"I honestly can't get over how similar it sounds to 'Oompa-Loompa'," Mr. Wonka said aloud as he watched the minuscule blue spacecraft surge down the corridor and into the arena. Like Tails and the ChuChus before him, Opa-Opa demonstrated quite the aerial performance, eventually landing with his golden feet on the stage beside the ChuChus.

"Thank you, everyone!" the announcer said as the audience cheered once more. "Now, as you should know, we've got some special guests accompanying us on this momentous occasion. You must be familiar with Willy Wonka, am I right?" Nearly everyone in the audience hollered, whistled, and cheered upon hearing the chocolatier's name. "Well, guess what? He's here, along with the people who toured his chocolate factory back in 2005! Please give them a hand!"

"I _still_ can't believe we'll be racing with them!" Amy squealed. "Oh, Sonic, I'm so excited!" The blue hedgehog winked at her, and then he looked over his shoulder while impatiently tapping his right foot on the ground.

Suddenly, a bright spotlight shone on the ground just in front of the antechamber's entrance corridor, which was beginning to fill up with purple fog.

A drumroll began as the announcer dramatically said, "Please give a warm welcome to...Carl Puckett? What? Oh, wait! I meant Charlie Bucket! My eyes were fooling me for a moment there!" Once again, a chorus of laughter filled the arena, but it was quickly replaced with applause as Charlie walked onto the stage. He smiled and waved at the audience before standing right next to Sonic.

"Thank you so, _so_ much!" Charlie began. "Even though you initially got my name wrong, I still appreciated the introduction. Anyway, as you know, I'm the heir of Willy Wonka's world-famous chocolate factory. I would like to introduce my friends to you all, so can I ask the announcer a question?"

"Yes, Charlie, you may ask me anything," the announcer responded, his voice loudly reverberating throughout the whole arena.

"Is it fine if I introduce my friends this time?" he asked, with his arms clasped together in front of him. "I promise I won't bite." The audience burst out laughing for what seemed like the hundredth time so far.

"Certainly, go ahead!" the announcer replied enthusiastically. "I'll shut up for now."

"Okay," Charlie said into the microphone, "I would like to welcome Augustus Gloop onto the stage."

The crowd cheered as the German teenager burst out of the fog, jumped up onto the stage, and came to a halt beside Charlie. He briefly glanced in Ulala's direction before taking the microphone.

"Guten tag!" he began. "I was the first person to win one of Wonka's five Golden Tickets, as most of you should know. But the thing is, it wasn't just a plain old tour of the factory. It was a way to test our personalities, and to find out who would make the best heir for Mr. Wonka. Of course, I didn't get the chance to win that title. In fact, I was the very first person to be eliminated from the tour, but you know what? We all learned valuable life lessons. My lesson, my wake-up call, was that I was being too greedy. Plus, I was living a very unhealthy lifestyle as a kid, and after the tour, I was traumatized to the extent where I stopped eating chocolate and other forms of candy for nearly two years. But you know what? That turned out to be a good thing. I took it upon myself to eat healthier, work out more, and change who I am as a person. It definitely paid off, because otherwise, I..." he turned to look at Ulala, "I probably wouldn't have had as much luck with the ladies." Yet again, the audience laughed in response. "That's all. Danke!"

"Thank you, Augustus!" Charlie said over the thunderous applause from the crowd. "Up next, I'd like to welcome my best friend, Veruca Salt."

The British girl appeared, confidently walking onto the stage while waving to the audience. She took the microphone as soon as she approached Charlie.

"Hello, I'm Veruca Salt," she said while curtsying to the audience. "It's very nice to meet you all. At the beginning of the tour, Mr. Wonka said, 'I always thought a verruca was a type of wart you get on the bottom of your foot.'" A mixture of laughter and disgusted expressions rang throughout the arena, and Veruca couldn't help but let out a nervous chuckle. "Anyway, I used to be the most selfish, spoiled brat you could possibly imagine. Daddy is the owner of Salt's Nuts Inc., one of the world's largest nut processing factories. I begged him to buy me everything I wanted, so that's what he did. He got me everything I wanted.

"During the tour, one of the rooms we checked out was the Nut Sorting Room. Wonka's factory has its own way of nut processing, with squirrels handling the job instead of people or automated machines. I really wanted Daddy to get me a squirrel, but when Mr. Wonka said I can't have one, I decided to take matters into my own hands and grab one of the squirrels for myself. Instead, all the squirrels pinned me down, and after determining I was a bad nut, they pushed me down the garbage chute. Of course, I left the factory covered in garbage, but Daddy became a lot more strict, and he stopped buying me things on a whim. I'm now someone who is appreciative of all the finer things in life, and I earned Charlie's respect. Thank you."

"Next up, we have a girl who will literally do whatever it takes to stay on top of her game!" Charlie said. "You can come on out now, Violet Beauregarde!"

Violet Beauregarde was met with deafening applause as she sprinted into the arena. After no less than four cartwheels, two backwards somersaults, and a backflip, she jumped onto the stage, triumphantly raising both hands in the air.

"Wow!" Charlie exclaimed. "What a stunning gymnastic performance by Miss Beauregarde! Give her a round of applause, everyone!"

Once the affectionate praise from the audience finally died down, Violet began her speech.

"Hi, everybody!" Violet said cheerfully.

"Hi, Violet!" the entire audience shouted back.

"I hope you're all doing well today," she said, running her fingers through her blonde hair. "I was, and still am, the world record holder in gum chewing. Before the tour, I've been chewing a piece of gum for three months solid, and despite the fact that I ate a defective piece of gum in Mr. Wonka's Inventing Room that caused me to swell up like a blueberry, I went back to chewing my old piece of gum for just under a year longer before I finally decided to give up. You see, my mother has always pushed me to be a winner, and I treated everything in life as if it was a competition. She stopped being overly supportive of me after the tour, but she still cheers me on when I take part in gymnastics tournaments and karate matches, and I still have that drive to be the best I can be. In other words, watch out, racers! Do not mess with me, because I will do everything I can to make it to the end of this tournament and win first place! Well, I think that's all I have to say, so I'll give the microphone to Mike Teavee!"

In the antechamber, Willy Wonka and Mike Teavee briefly turned to look at each other.

"It's down to you now," Mike told Mr. Wonka. "You're after me." Without saying another word, Mike sprinted down the corridor and into the arena, leaving Mr. Wonka to stand alone backstage.

_This is only the third time in my entire life where I'll be standing in front of a huge crowd_, Mr. Wonka worried. _At least I brought my cue cards, so I'll be fine. I think I'll be fine, anyway._

Meanwhile, the crowd gave Mike Teavee a major round of applause as he leaped onto the stage, landing right next to Shadow. After loudly clearing his throat, he spoke into the microphone.

"Hi everyone, I'm Mike Teavee, and I honestly can't believe I'm here! I said it that way because I thought Sonic and the others were just video game characters, but to think they're here in flesh-and-blood form...it took me by surprise. I'm very skilled at programming and hacking computers, and Shadow even told me that when I'm older, he might offer me a position at G.U.N.!" Dr. Eggman gave Mike a death glare, but everyone else, including the other racers, loudly cheered after hearing what Mike had to say.

"On the other hand," Mike continued, "I'm sure my tech skills will gain me the upper hand during the races, so the rest of you had better watch out! I'll be more than happy to provide you with a fair dose of action, firsthand!"

"My creation is loaded with tech as well," Dr. Eggman boasted.

Mike gasped in astonishment. "Wait, you _built_ your own vehicle?"

"Well, of course," Dr. Eggman replied with a sinister grin. "And I'll do whatever it takes to kick you out of the tournament, but in a friendly manner."

Mike gritted his teeth while thinking of an angry rebuttal, but he chose to remain silent.

"Well," Charlie said, "now that Mike Teavee has...introduced himself, it's time for the moment you've all been waiting for!" The cheering from the audience grew so loud that everyone on stage, including Charlie, had to cover their ears. "Here's the amazing chocolatier, the candyman himself..." Charlie said while awkwardly pointing the microphone towards his mouth, "WILLY WONKA!"

A bright spotlight shone on the ground, and out came the top-hatted man that everyone knew and loved. Willy Wonka twirled his trusty cane above his head as white-hot sparks shot out the end, and with a loud bang, the cane exploded into smithereens as the bright-red candy inside it spontaneously ignited in a brilliant burst of white light.

"WOW!" Charlie said as the audience roared in applause. "Who needs boring old fireworks when your cane is loaded to the brim with Exploding Candy?! I _loved_ it!"

Mr. Wonka smiled at the crowd, revealing his perfect, white teeth as he marched onto the stage. As a final trick, he tossed his black top hat high into the air before catching it with his gloved left hand. He put it back on, and Mike Teavee gave him the microphone.

"Thank you," the chocolatier said as he reached into his coat, pulling out his cue cards.

"Good evening," he began reading from one of the cards. "It is with utmost sincerity that I thank the All-Stars Racing team for inviting me here, along with the five Golden Ticket winners from the tour." He flipped over to the next one. "This Grand Prix tournament will be an occasion we'll all remember for the rest of our lives. Here's to several days of making new friends, exploring new places, and enjoying the feeling of sheer competition." He pulled out the third cue card. "It will be the end of all kitchens and all cooking. Just a little strip of Wonka's Magic Chewing Gum and that is all you'll ever need for breakfast, lunch, and—WAIT! That's the wrong card!" The audience began laughing maniacally. "Sorry about that! Now, where was I? Nine, four, five, five—NO! Well, now you all know my four-digit credit card PIN. Okay, that's it! I've had _enough_ with these stupid cue cards!" He dramatically threw them over his left shoulder, and everyone watched as the little cards fluttered back and forth on their way to the ground. "Don't get me wrong, I am happy to be here, not only with Charlie and the others, but also with Sonic and his friends...and enemies, if I count that egg guy. Well, I guess that about covers it! That's the business, and the fun's just ahead! Bye for now!"

"Give everybody a standing ovation, ladies and gentlemen!" the announcer shouted, and the entire audience stood up, applauding and cheering as all twenty-one racers lined up beside each other on the stage. "Now, will everyone in the arena please turn to face the screen behind the stage? We've created a special animation to get everyone fired up and ready for the action that's to come, so sit back and enjoy!"

_Thump thump._ The screen immediately went black, but the sound of drums beating rhythmically, almost like that of a heartbeat, literally shook everyone's insides each time they were struck.

_Thump thump_. A rich brown substance, presumably melted chocolate, began to gush from the top of the screen. Eventually, it formed the words: "The Speedy Chocolatier Showdown".

Ragtime music started to play as a short man with fair skin and funny-looking golden hair appeared from the right-hand side of the screen, and a woman of the same size appeared from the left. They sprinted towards each other in excitement. In fact, they were so excited that they literally bumped into each other, falling flat on their backs. Golden stars danced above their heads, and they rapidly shook their bodies before clambering back onto their feet. The woman said something unintelligible to the man while pointing up at the chocolate letters above them.

Much to the humor of everyone watching the video, they turned their backs to the audience, stuck their tongues out, and began to lick the chocolate with the most obnoxious slurping sounds imaginable! The audience was absolutely roaring with laughter at this point, and the two people quickly turned around as if they could hear everyone. "Huh?" they said, chuckling nervously before running to the left side of the screen and vanishing from sight.

The letters slowly melted away, and some of the chocolate was starting to drip on the forehead of Prince Pondicherry, who came in from the bottom of the screen. Curious to find out what the substance was, he used a finger to rub some of it off his forehead, and he licked the chocolate off the small, narrow appendage. Upon tasting it, he burst out laughing before the rest of the chocolate violently crashed down on top of him.

With the chocolate now gone, an instrumental rock song began to play as a cinematic overview of the first race track appeared. One section of the track was built in a figure-eight shape, and the insides of the "8" consisted of small lakes with orcas happily jumping up and out of the water in a graceful arc.

The remaining twenty-three tracks appeared and disappeared much too fast for everyone to really take a good look at them, but they included a track with an ice cave, one that was in a desert, and one that was designed to look like a roller coaster.

The scene then showed the finish line of one of the tracks as a group of ten racers whizzed down the home stretch. Sonic and Mr. Wonka skillfully swerved around and between the other racers, and when they were neck-and-neck, they stared deeply into each other's eyes just before crossing the finish line in slow motion. The other eight racers whizzed by the camera in a blur as flaming letters appeared, once again reading "THE SPEEDY CHOCOLATIER SHOWDOWN".

Fireworks exploded in the sky above the arena as the announcer exclaimed, "Welcome to the Speedy Chocolatier Showdown! Get ready for some high-octane racing action tomorrow, here at All-Star Island!"

* * *

"Ready to feast your eyes on your vehicles?"

The racers gathered outside an enormous garage about thirty minutes later, with no less than twenty steel garage doors stretching across the building. Rebecca was clutching a remote in her right hand. She dramatically held the remote high above her head and pressed the big red button on the front.

The garage doors simultaneously rolled upwards at a purposely slow speed for dramatic effect. In addition, orange lights above each door flashed on and off, and a loud warning siren blared as the doors rose up, higher and higher. Once the doors finally reached the top, gleaming sports cars, bikes, planes, hovercrafts, and even a banana stood before everyone in all their glory.

Sonic's metallic-blue vehicle, called the Speed Star, was designed to resemble his appearance somewhat. There were six "spikes" on the back of the car, and two more near the front, where the mirrors were cleverly infused. The transparent plastic cover that shielded the headlights formed an obtuse "U" shape, much like the hedgehog's eyes. In the cockpit, there was a single black seat positioned behind a red Formula-One-style steering wheel.

Tails' vehicle was a land-based version of his personal aircraft, the Tornado. The yellow plane, called the Tornado Racer, had an abnormally short fuselage and wingspan, with dimensions barely larger than that of Sonic's car. A yellow propeller with a small amount of white paint on the tips of each blade provided the Tornado Racer with its means of propulsion.

Amy's car looked like a pink Volkswagen Beetle. It featured prominent white headlights and ear-shaped mirrors. The hood was adorned with two hearts, and her name was written across them in white letters. There was a spare tire mounted on the back, and it was decorated with two hearts as well. Lastly, a green license plate that read "AMY-ROSE" was positioned just above the car's chrome front bumper.

The red ATV that Knuckles was going to drive featured angry-looking headlights, with two handlebars and a seat positioned just behind. There were two spikes on its front wheels to represent the spikes on his gloves, and the rear wheels had a single spike covered with a few metal plates, resembling the metal buckles on his shoes.

The vehicle that Dr. Eggman tirelessly worked on for the past two days was finally unveiled for all to see. He welded a replica of his personal vehicle, the Egg Mobile, to the frame of a monster truck. Two oversized exhaust pipes jutted out the back, and four fearsome tires supported the Egg Mobile high enough that Dr. Eggman could look down on the other racers from his seat. He called his newest creation the Egg Monster.

Shadow acquired a motorcycle called the Dark Rider. It was modeled after a Harley-Davidson, featuring a single headlight in a red housing, two bright-red wheels, gleaming chrome handlebars, a jet-black fuel tank with the Black Arms insignia painted on it, two oversized exhaust pipes, and an empty machine gun turret on each side of the bike's rear wheel.

Big's vehicle was also a motorcycle, but its green body was comically small compared to the cat's massive stature. The bike was made to resemble Froggy.

AiAi's banana-shaped race car had a Formula-One appearance, but there were yellow fenders covering its wheels. One half of each hubcap was painted white, and the other half was purple, to represent the two-toned appearance of his ball.

Amigo's car resembled a gigantic maraca. The body of the car was made to look like the bell of the instrument, and its single exhaust pipe represented the handle. Jutting out the sides of the car were four large tires.

Billy Hatcher's rooster-shaped car featured a white body with pale blue spots all over it. Two bright-red "combs" flared out from the back, and the covers over the wheels were shaped like eggs.

Alex Kidd's Sukopako Motorcycle was a small, nimble two-wheeler with a red-and-white paint job.

Ulala's vehicle was a kind of floating pod, called the Astro Glider. It featured a rounded, oval-shaped body with the Space Channel 5 logo on the front. There were two light-blue, rearward-facing "wings" that jutted out the sides of the vehicle, and a rocket engine was positioned in the back. Inside the cockpit was a red seat and a blue steering wheel.

B.D. Joe's trademark yellow taxi had been tuned up by the finest mechanics in all of Station Square. The sparkling-clean cab sported a chrome grill on the front of the hood, and there were black-and-white checkered stripes running down the front to the back, like what you'd find on a taxi from New York. An illuminated "TAXI" sign was positioned above the windshield, and two rows of comfortable red seats provided capacity for four people, even though B.D. Joe would be the sole occupant of the vehicle during the tournament.

The ChuChus' vehicle was a much larger version of the rockets they usually flew in, providing more than enough room for the four of them to sit comfortably inside.

Opa-Opa did not have a vehicle since he was a spacecraft.

Augustus Gloop's race vehicle resembled a white ice cream truck with a giant rotating ice cream cone on the roof. On both sides of the truck were the words "AUGUSTUS GLOOP" in bright-red letters.

Violet Beauregarde's vehicle looked like a pink Formula-One race car, and the tires featured blue hubcaps that were made to resemble blueberries.

A gleaming 1950's-era Pink Cadillac with chrome trim and oversized fins on the back was Veruca Salt's race vehicle. Similar to Amy's car, the hood was adorned with pink hearts and her name was written on it in white letters. As an added touch, there were long, black eyelashes above the car's headlights.

Mike Teavee had a jet-black Harley-Davidson motorcycle that sort of resembled Shadow's vehicle, but the wheels were black, his name was spelled out in silver letters on both sides of the fuel tank, and there were no machine gun turrets.

Charlie's cocoa-bean-shaped vehicle featured four fully-exposed black wheels that jutted out from the sides, and there was a low-profile brown spoiler at the very back.

Finally, Willy Wonka's vehicle was made to resemble a white Volkswagen Beetle, and its red wheels featured his trademark "W" on the sides. A high-tech steering wheel with a touchscreen in the middle was what controlled the car, and there were several cannons that jutted out from all sides of the vehicle, including the front and back. Behind the steering wheel was a red velvet seat that featured the Wonka logo on the headrest.

"Say hello to your mechanical best friend!" Rebecca said, smiling proudly as the racers cheered and whooped in excitement.

**Author's note: I hope you enjoyed everyone's introductions, as well as how I described their vehicles. What was your favorite part of this chapter? Please tell me in your review, and stay tuned for the next one, where the characters will finally get behind the wheel of their vehicles! :D**


	4. When the Rubber Meets the Road, Part 1

Chapter 4 - When the Rubber Meets the Road, Part 1

**Author's note: Hello, everyone! I am terribly, TERRIBLY sorry about the long wait. From issues with writer's block to coming up with too many plot ideas for other stories, to preparing for my piano exam this coming June, to the rise of the coronavirus outbreak...I've had a lot on my plate! But worry no longer, because I AM continuing this story until the end. In fact, it's barely even begun! Now, time to address your reviews! :D**

**Gs33022, I _knew_ you'd catch the hug between Augustus and Ulala! I'm equally impressed as to how you portayed their relationship in your story, "Charlie's Chocolatey Adventure"! As for the cue card moments, I was laughing so hard while typing that I had to take intermittent breaks so that I don't mess everything up! Lastly, regarding the Sonic/chili dog shipping...SpicyBlur it is! XD**

**JOHNHAMMOND1993, I'm glad you enjoyed the cue card moments as well! As for Mr. Wonka's car, it does resemble the Wonkamobile, albeit in a very subtle way. For example, the paint job is white and the driver's seat is red, and there are cannons all around the vehicle. Also, there will plenty of more Sonic Colors references to come, with a few included in this chapter, so all I can say is to keep on reading!  
**

**Muhammad Li, you'll see how the relationship between Augustus and Ulala develops as the story progresses! Now, on with the story!**

"Morning," Sonic yawned, stretching his arms before jumping out of bed early the following morning. Tails was sitting on the edge of his own bed, and he was surfing the Web on his laptop. "Did you sleep well?"

"I sure did," Tails replied with a smile. "Check this out! Someone posted a video of Charlie and the others on YouTube a few years ago!"

Sonic's ears perked up. "Really? Let's see."

Tails clicked the Play button, and the first thing they saw was the Great Glass Elevator as it hovered high above the front courtyard of Willy Wonka's factory. Mr. Wonka, Charlie, and Grandpa Joe had their faces pressed up against one of the elevator's glass walls, eagerly anticipating the moment the others would step out of the massive building.

The front doors opened, and Augustus Gloop exited the factory with his mother, covered in chocolate from head to toe. Sonic and Tails grimaced in disgust upon noticing that Augustus Gloop was sucking on his fingers like a baby.

"Augustus, please don't eat your fingers!" Mrs. Gloop sternly told him.

"But I taste so good!" the German boy replied.

Violet Beauregarde, who emerged with violet skin and hair, was somersaulting all the way down the stars as her mother walked in front of her. Once she reached the bottom, she twisted her neck all the way around so that her head was sticking out from underneath her back. She grinned at her mother.

"Look, Mother!" Violet said proudly, "I'm much more flexible now!"

"Yes, but you're blue," her mother retorted before continuing to walk ahead of her.

Veruca Salt and her father were covered in all sorts of rotten garbage. Flies were buzzing and swarming all around them, and the British girl looked upwards at the Great Glass Elevator, her face showing just as much disgust as Sonic and Tails at the moment.

"Daddy, I want a flying glass elevator," she demanded.

"Veruca, the only thing you're getting today is a bath," Mr. Salt angrily responded, "and that's final."

"But I _want_ it!" Veruca snapped before her father shut her up with a glare. Sonic and Tails exchanged looks before turning back to the screen. Mike Teavee and his father were the last ones to leave, and Tails' jaw dropped upon seeing what Mike went through. The boy was nine feet tall and as thin as a wire. Mr. Teavee, who was holding Mike's coat, looked up at his son with a worried expression.

Mr. Wonka, Charlie, and Grandpa Joe continued to watch the eight runner-ups as they walked (or in Violet's case, cartwheeled) through the factory gates, only for them to be bombarded by the paparazzi shortly afterward.

"Where do you live?" the chocolatier asked the boy a few seconds later.

"Right over there," Charlie replied, pointing towards a small, dilapidated cottage at the far end of the street. "That little house."

"Wow," Sonic said just as the video ended. "They really _have_ changed since then!"

"And they learned from their mistakes, too!" Tails added. "I'd like to find out more about how all this came to be, and what kind of cool machinery Mr. Wonka's got in his factory."

Sonic laughed. "More like 'way past cool machinery'!" he added, giving Tails a thumbs-up.

* * *

Once Mike Teavee woke up to his alarm, he sprang out of bed and took a long, hot shower before dressing up in a plain red T-shirt and tan shorts. Afterwards, he entertained himself by taking his watch apart and putting it back together as fast as possible. His record time was less than two minutes.

_I'll admit, I'm really looking forward to trying out my vehicle_, Mike thought as he reassembled his watch for the third time. _It's funny how quickly Shadow and I became friends yesterday, and at the end of the day, we were both given motorcycles that look totally badass. Then again, Amy and Veruca both have cars that only girly-girls would dare to drive, so it's gotta be more than a coincidence._

Just then, Mike heard a trio of gentle knocks on the door. He walked up to it and looked through the peephole before turning the handle.

"Hi, Violet," Mike said as the blonde athlete strode into the room. She was wearing a pink tracksuit that looked almost identical to the one she wore when she found her Golden Ticket. "How are you this morning?"

"I'm _totally_ pumped!" Violet said all too eagerly. "I know we're only doing the qualifying laps today, but I'm eager to get out on the track nonetheless. How about you?"

"I'm excited as well," Mike replied, keeping his eyes on Violet as she sat on the edge of his bed. "By the way, your speech from last night was very well said."

"Thanks, but yours was better!" Violet said, playfully slapping Mike on the back. "That little conversation between you and Dr. Eggman sure spiced things up."

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," Mike said with a rare chuckle. "So, Violet, what shall we do now?"

"Well, I think it's about time we go and have breakfast," Violet responded. "I don't know about you, but I'm definitely hungry."

"Me too," Mike admitted. "Let's go!"

* * *

Within an hour, everyone arrived at the resort's main building either on foot or via dune buggy. Rebecca was waiting for them in the lobby.

"Good morning, racers!" she enthusiastically greeted everyone. "I hope you're ready to put your pedals to the metal today, since we will be driving on the first track, Whale Lagoon, for the qualification round. Before that, however, I will present a tutorial that will teach you some important tips for the races ahead. Are you excited?"

"Heck yeah!" Violet exclaimed.

"Of course I am!" Alex Kidd chimed in.

"Sounds fine," Shadow said coolly.

"Great," Rebecca said, "then let's get ourselves fueled up for the day. This tutorial session will be covering a lot of ground, and you'll need to pay close attention so that we can make it through qualifying safely and quickly. Let's go!"

The restaurant had a more informal atmosphere this time around. The lighting was much brighter, and 1950's rock n' roll music was playing over the speakers. Much to the delight of Sonic and Augustus, the buffet was fully stocked with many different kinds of food.

Mr. Wonka grimaced as Sonic and Augustus literally began fighting over the chili dogs.

"Wow, Augustus likes chili dogs just as much as Sonic!" Tails said to Knuckles, whose expression pretty much matched that of Willy as he watched the comical drama between Augustus and Sonic unfold. The red echidna sighed and walked over to the fruit counter, where AiAi, Amigo, Amy, and Ulala were filling up their trays with a variety of fruit.

"Hi, Knuckles," Amy greeted him as he began helping himself to a few fistfuls of grapes. "Are you ready to get on the track today?"

"I sure am," Knuckles replied, "but I bet all you're gonna do is tailgate your speedy blue boyfriend for the entire duration of the race, am I right?"

"No, you're wrong!" Amy retorted with a scowl. "The true way to a man's heart is to show him who's boss, and you bet I'll do everything it takes to win this race, and win him over while I'm at it!"

"That's the spirit, Amy!" Violet exclaimed as she joined Amy, Knuckles, Amigo, AiAi, and Ulala. "Sorry that I overheard more than a little bit of your conversation."

"Ah, don't you worry," Amy replied. "There's nothing wrong with a little..." she quickly glanced at Sonic, "..._relationship advice_."

At one end of the table, Mike, Shadow, Opa-Opa, and Billy Hatcher were sitting together. Opa-Opa was trying to talk to Mike, who was clearly bewildered as to what the miniature blue spacecraft was conveying through his computerized blips and bleeps.

"Mike," Shadow said, "I'm not sure if you'd be able to hold a real conversation with Opa-Opa. He's a sentient spacecraft, and he does not communicate the same way we do."

Mike reached into his pocket and pulled out his iPhone. "Well, I just might have the answer. They say there's an app for everything." He opened a translation app that he downloaded the night before. "Hello, Opa-Opa, how are you today?" Opa-Opa replied with a series of blips and bleeps like he did before. Less than a second later, a text appeared on Mike's iPhone. "I'm doing great, Mike," he read aloud. "But don't worry about me. I don't eat food like you mammals do." He paused for a second. "Then...what do you eat, Opa-Opa?" More computerized blips were heard from the spacecraft. "I don't 'eat' anything," Mike read. "I have various internal mechanisms that keep my power supply fully charged at all times. Even in the unlikely scenario that I do run out of rocket fuel, I will still be able to power myself by synthesizing UV rays into fuel and/or taking in air." Mike closed the app once he finished reading. "That's really cool."

"Hi, Chuck!" Tails greeted Charlie as they both sat down. "What's up?"

"Nothing much," Charlie said as he began eating from a bowl of muesli that was loaded with all sorts of toppings. "I've never heard very many people call me Chuck before."

"Well, there's someone I already know named Chuck," Tails said. "His name is Chuck Thorndyke."

Charlie's jaw dropped. "You know the Thorndykes?!"

"Yes!" Tails exclaimed. "His grandson, Christopher Thorndyke, saved Sonic after he fell into the pool in the Thorndyke mansion's backyard. The Thorndyke family treats Sonic and his friends, myself obviously included, as if we were born into their family. How do you know of them?"

"We invited them over to visit the factory not long ago," Charlie said with a smile. "However, they never mentioned anything about you guys, probably because we wouldn't believe that talking anthropomorphic hedgehogs and foxes even exist. Therefore, I had no idea that they were taking care of you! That's amazing!"

Meanwhile, Augustus Gloop just finished eating his last chili dog when he heard the chair next to him slide out of the way.

"Heeeey, Gus," Ulala said as she sat down beside him. She was wearing an outfit that was nearly identical to the white suit she wore before, but this one was bright-orange, and her headset was blue. "How'd you sleep last night?"

"I slept very well, Ulala," Augustus replied. "For some reason, I had a dream that we were contestants on _Dancing With the Stars_."

"What's that?" Ulala queried, tilting her head to one side.

"It's a TV show," Augustus said. "I think you'll enjoy it if you get a chance to watch it."

Ulala nodded. "Well, if it's indeed about dancing, then I'm—"

"May I please have your attention?" Rebecca's voice suddenly echoed around the room, interrupting their conversation. A few seconds later, she was met with total silence, as well as a scowl from Dr. Eggman.

"Can't you see that you interrupted my creative process here, young woman?" the mad scientist growled. He was holding a sheet of paper with a half-finished drawing of another prototype robot on it.

"I-I'm sorry," Rebecca apologized to a rather furious Eggman. "I just have to teach everyone some more rules and tips regarding the tournament so that we can all have a safe and enjoyable time out here. Now, please pay close attention to the slideshow that I'm about to present to you all."

A blank projection screen slowly descended from the wall just behind Rebecca, and seconds later, the word "Tutorial" appeared on the screen in bold blue letters.

"As you may recall," Rebecca lectured, "we'll only be doing two qualifying laps today. This is the only occasion where all twenty-one of you will be on the track at the same time. Like I said yesterday, the first ten who make it across the finish line will not make it into the first round; rather, the next ten will, so those would be who came in eleventh to twentieth place. Those racers will take part in our first official race at Whale Lagoon tomorrow." Immediately after she finished, Mike raised his hand. "Yes, Mike Television?"

"It's _Teavee_," Mike corrected. "Anyway, you told us that the tournament will consist of six rounds. Am I right?"

"As a matter of fact," Rebecca said while advancing to the next slide, "that was _exactly_ what I was about to bring up." Five trophies appeared on the screen. "The first five cups are awarded to the racer who wins the most points at the end of each round. These cups are only to serve as a trophy for completing the final track in a round in first place; they don't have anything to do with your overall cumulative score. In order, they are the Chao Cup, the Graffiti Cup, the Egg Cup, the Horror Cup, and the Samba Cup. The sixth cup, on the other hand..."

Rebecca reached down and picked up a large platinum trophy that was just under three feet tall. It featured a miniature statue of Sonic and Mr. Wonka, and below it, the names of all the racers, plus the date of the tournament, were etched into the base of the trophy.

"This one is the Showdown Cup! The racer who crosses the finish line of the very last track in first place wins this cup, and the tournament overall." She advanced to the next slide.

"There are four courses per round, making for a total of twenty-four different courses for you to race on. Each course has its own theme and scenery based on where most of you hail from. There are also various elements that may occur on the track, like jumps, lava pits, barrel rolls, and even a chocolate river, so watch out for those."

Mike lowered his head in dismay. "_Why_ did they need to include barrel rolls, loops, and corkscrews?" he softly moaned. "They oughta know I hate roller coasters or anything resembling them." He raised his hand once again. "Rebecca, how can our vehicles possibly stay on the track when we're upside down? Have the designers of these courses never heard of gravity?"

"That brings me to something else," Rebecca answered. She showed a close-up image of one of the tires belonging to Sonic's vehicle. "There are little suction cups embedded in the tread that are designed in such a way that they help to anchor the car to the track during those moments when you're not exactly horizontal. Plus, the track is coated in a special slime-like material that provides additional grip, but still allows for drifting and sliding around corners. As for those who will be flying planes and hovercrafts, your vehicles have sophisticated computer systems that help to align it with the track. Even when you're at a standstill or hovering while upside down, you won't fall out of the sky. Does that put you at ease, Mike?" Mike nodded in response. "Great."

Rebecca advanced to the next slide. "Now, one of the things that sets this apart from other racing tournaments is that there are item boxes on the track you can collect and use to assist you during the race! Some items can act as a weapon against your opponents, and others are there to help you on the path to winning each race. A few of these items come in packs of three, meaning that you can either fire each one separately, one after the other, or if you hold down the Use Item button in your vehicle for a couple of seconds, all three will be used at once. There are ten different kinds of items that you can acquire. The first one is the Mega Horn, which creates a destructive sound wave that knocks nearby racers out of the way."

_As if that Eggman guy hasn't been tootin' his own horn enough_, Mr. Wonka thought to himself.

"The next item is called...Speed Shoes, of all things," Rebecca continued, chuckling slightly to herself. "Of course, the name is obviously a nod to a certain blue hedgehog in this room."

Everyone looked at Sonic, who stood up and said, "That's me!" while jabbing his thumb into his chest.

Rebecca sighed once Sonic sat back down. "Anyway, these Speed Shoes increase your speed momentarily, as I'm sure you'd have guessed. It allows you to smash through obstacles and bowl other opponents out of the way. If you use all three simultaneously, it will provide you with a longer boost than if you use them separately.

"The Confusion Star targets the rival closest to you, and once it hits your opponent, it causes your opponent to literally see the world upside down for a few seconds. Thus, down becomes up, up becomes down, right becomes left, and left becomes right. It's bound to scramble your mind as well as where you're going.

"Up next, we have rockets! When launched, a rocket will automatically home in on the nearest rival to flip them over. If you acquire a set of three, you can use them one at a time, or you can launch all three simultaneously, so they'll target the nearest three drivers and flip them head-over-heels! Maybe this might mean that Sonic will be head-over-heels for Amy this time around, instead of the opposite like how it normally is!" Upon hearing this, nearly everyone burst out laughing, and Amy squealed loudly in excitement. "Don't worry, Amy, I'm sure you'll get your chance later."

The next slide showed what appeared to be a transparent orb.

"This is an Energy Shield," Rebecca said. "Like the name implies, it creates an energy shield that temporarily surrounds your vehicle, and it will be able to take one hit for you. In other words, you'll be invincible for about ten seconds, or until you're hit by either a weapon or an obstacle." She advanced to the next slide, which featured an orange mine that looked a lot like a traffic cone. "This mine is motion-activated, meaning it will detonate as soon as a vehicle collides with it, and the victim's vehicle will spin out. Like the rockets, you can release three mines at the same time, and they will form a line perpendicular to the front of the victim's vehicle. That'll provide less room for evasion, and it's best if you deploy them just after a corner or ramp where the opponent will likely not see them before it's too late."

The next slide displayed a type of projectile encased in a neon-green boxing glove.

"This is called a K.O. Glove!" Rebecca said enthusiastically. "When deployed, it will bounce wildly off the sides of the track to easily knock out rivals. If used simultaneously in a set of three, one will be launched straight ahead or behind, and the other two will be launched slightly to the left and right.

"Up next, we have the Pocket Rainbow, which will obstruct the view of whoever drives into it with a spectrum of dazzling colors."

_Well, it's better than causing you to spit in seven different colors_, Mr. Wonka thought. _The only reason I invented Rainbow Drops was just to cater to the children's market. Spitting's a dirty habit, just like chewing gum, and everyone should know that._

"There's just two more to go," Rebecca reassured everyone as she brought up the next slide, which displayed a large blue missile.

"This is the Giant Rocket, and it's easily one of the most powerful items you can find. You're more likely to acquire it if you're falling behind in the race. One thing to note, however: this rocket requires manual detonation, meaning that it will launch as soon as you push the Use Item button in your vehicle, but in order to actually set it off, you have to push that button again, so timing is everything! You want to make sure you wait until that rocket is near the other racers before setting it off, in order to gain the upper hand for yourself. Anyway, once detonated, it will trigger a large explosion that will cause your rivals to spin out.

"Last but not least, we have the Bowling Bomb, which is a big bomb that barrels out in front of you and lands with an explosion to spin out your competition. If you acquire a set of three, you can use all of them at the same time for even more damage. Did everyone get that down?"

"Yes," the contestants all replied at once (except for Opa-Opa, who let out a bleep; Amigo, who shook his maracas in response; and the ChuChus, who answered with their high-pitched squeaks).

"Perfect," Rebecca said, giving everyone a thumbs-up. "There are also optional missions that you can partake in if you wish. For example, one of the missions may be for Sonic to collect as many rings as possible. Another may be for Charlie to drift for as long as possible around corners. And another may be for AiAi and Amigo to race each other to the finish line in a Super Monkey Brawl! Those are just some ideas, and like I said, they are optional, so you don't _have_ to do them if you don't want to. If you choose to enter a mission, however, you either have to select one from a list, or you'll have to tell me beforehand exactly what kind of race or challenge you'd like to perform. The possibilities are nearly endless, and I hope you'll have a ton of fun trying some of them!" Excited chatter quickly filled the room, and Rebecca cleared her throat to catch everyone's attention once again.

"We have two more important topics left before we head out onto the track!" Rebecca told everyone. "Number one, there are also special achievements you can earn during the race that are not a part of your overall score or rank. You'll get the lowdown on them after dinner tonight. And number two...here's the most exciting one! I must give you a briefing on your All-Star moves! Like I said yesterday, they are special moves that you will perform to help you get back into the race if you're falling behind, and they are unique to each individual. You will acquire them the same way you would any other item, and you'll just push your Use Item button in your vehicle to execute your move. Before we go, I'll give each of you an individual tutorial regarding your All-Star move! We don't want anyone else knowing what each other's special ability will be, because that takes away the element of surprise! Now, if you'd all rise up and follow me into the lobby, that would be great! Thank you!"

"Isn't this exciting or what?" Violet chirped to Mike, her ecstatic voice barely audible amongst all the applause and chatter from the other contestants as they exited the restaurant. "I hope that everyone who will be watching us on TV is just as pumped as I am! My mother will be so proud of me. How about you?"

Mike sighed. "Well, my parents don't exactly root for me the same way your mother does, but I'm sure they'll be cheering me on in one way or another. This tournament is great for both of us. You get to compete in yet another major event, and I get to mingle with Sonic and his buddies. Augustus appears to have formed a...relationship of sorts with Ulala, and Veruca and Amy have become very good friends. Plus, I also get to spend some more time with you, so we've got that going for us."

Violet giggled. "You're blushing, Mike. Don't try to hide it from me."

Alex Kidd ran up to them before loudly singing, "Mike's got a girlfriend! Mike's got a girlfriend!"

"SHUT UP!" Violet and Mike shouted at the same time.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Rebecca announced once everyone was standing together in the lobby of Hôtel de Blanc, "I'd like to begin calling up you guys one at a time to teach you about your All-Star move. Sonic, you're first."

The blue hedgehog leaped up and did a somersault in midair. "That's me!" he boasted.

"I know it's you," Rebecca halfheartedly replied, briefly looking down at him. "Right this way, Sonic." Together, they walked towards one of the elevators just as the doors slid open. Two young women wearing brightly-colored bikinis stepped out of the elevator, and out of the corner of Sonic's left eye, he spotted Knuckles staring at the girls as they left the lobby to head to the beach.

"Aw, don't you be falling for _them_ now, Rad Red!" Sonic said jokingly to the echidna as he and Rebecca entered the empty elevator car. He didn't have any time to witness Knuckles' response before the doors closed. Meanwhile, Rebecca's attention was focused on a nearby touchscreen inside the elevator, which displayed a cross-section diagram of the hotel. She touched a floor that was labeled "B1" and the elevator began to descend. In seemingly no time at all, the elevator came to a smooth stop. The doors opened, and Rebecca led Sonic through a nearby door into a darkened room that was about the size of a squash court. She pulled up two chairs, one for herself and the other for Sonic, and an image of Sonic's vehicle appeared on a large screen.

"Ready to learn your All-Star move, Sonic the Hedgehog?" Rebecca asked, and her cobalt-quilled trainee responded with a thumbs-up and a wink.

"Of course I am! Bring it on!"

* * *

Nearly three hours had passed by the time everyone finally finished learning their signature All-Star moves. Willy Wonka was the last person to receive training, and just fifteen minutes after he and Rebecca exited the training room, the group of excited racers boarded the ferry that was headed for All-Star Island. Everyone climbed the stairs that led to the ship's top deck before the ferry began to pull away from the dock. On the beach, hundreds of resort guests were cheering and waving their temporary goodbyes to the All-Star contestants, and some of them were even holding up large signs and colorful banners to show their appreciation for each of their favorite racers.

Charlie and Veruca, as well as the other contestants in the tournament, were waving and smiling at the crowd as they smoothly sailed further and further away from the beach.

"They'll be watching us when we get to the island, right?" Veruca asked Rebecca, who was standing nearby. "The people on the beach, I mean, using their phones."

"I'm sure the majority of them will be watching you on TV or on their phones and tablets," Rebecca answered. "Others will probably just eat, drink, go on a stroll through the resort, swim in the pool, gamble in the casino...that kind of stuff. Who knows, some of them might even head to the island by themselves!"

"I wanna go fishing here with Froggy sometime," Big said. "The water sure is beautiful right now." That caught Amy's attention.

"Hey Big," the pink hedgehog spoke, "I forgot to tell you that Cream texted me not long ago. She said that when we get back to the resort, we could all meet up on the beach together! In fact, she just sent me a selfie that she took a few minutes ago." Amy pulled out her iPhone and opened the Messages app. "Take a look!"

On the screen was a photo of Cream smiling and giggling as Froggy perched himself on top of her head. Below it was a message that read, "Seems like Froggy is just as excited to watch you get behind the wheel of your car as I am! I wish you the best of luck!"

"I'm glad my buddy's doing well," Big smiled. "Thanks for the update, Amy."

Amy grinned at the cat. "Sure, anytime!"

Meanwhile, Dr. Eggman retreated to the deck below, which was surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows that provided a clear yet sheltered view of the spectacular sights outside the ship. Most of the area was taken up by a bar that served various snacks such as pizza, potato chips, and sushi, as well as alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

"I would like a Red Bull, please," Dr. Eggman said to a young male bartender who was working behind the counter.

"Certainly," the bartender replied. Seconds later, he handed the scientist a large can of Red Bull, which he guzzled down in just over five seconds.

"Hey, take it easy!" the bartender warned. "Guzzling beverages like that could impair your ability to participate in the race!"

"I have a very fast metabolism," Dr. Eggman replied. "I can take it just fine." The bartender shrugged his shoulders and walked away. Dr. Eggman chucked the now-empty can into a nearby recycling container, and he sat down at a small table that was positioned right beside one of the windows.

"Now...where was I?" he mumbled while pulling out the sheet of paper that he had to put away earlier. He grabbed a nearby pencil and resumed working on his prototype robot. "Heh heh, now I'm _really_ excited for this tournament to begin! Regardless of the outcome, I will be heading into outer space soon afterward to begin constructing my Interstellar Amusement Park! According to my research, there's a species of creatures, called Wisps, that are supposedly native to the planets I'll be building on. Maybe I could harness them to help me with my new creation! HAHAHAHAAA!"

"Attention, passengers," a female voice announced a few minutes later, "we are now approaching All-Star Island. We'll be taking a different route this time, in order to lead us into the underground portion of the island, where only contestants and employees are allowed to enter. The ferry will be docked in just a few minutes, so please make your way towards the main gangway to disembark this watercraft. Thank you!"

"Well, perhaps I'd better go," Dr. Eggman frowned, stowing away the sheet of paper once again. He was just about to enter the stairwell to descend to the main floor, but his progress was suddenly halted as the other racers ran, walked, or flew down the stairs on their way towards the front of the ship. When the coast was clear, he sighed and began to walk down the stairs.

Once again, everyone found themselves in the large, spacious room where they exited the ferry the day before, and now that the ship was closer to the island than ever, the racers got a much better glimpse of some of the island's many themed areas.

"Hey, that looks just like my chocolate factory!" Mr. Wonka cried, pointing towards a grey building with smokestacks that towered hundreds of feet into the air. "Those track designers really did their homework!"

Ulala gasped in awe upon seeing a futuristic structure that slightly resembled an airport. The building consisted of several large, circular towers that were big enough to hold even the most gargantuan rockets, and a web of narrow corridors and skywalks connected those towers to one another.

"Wow! That looks _exactly_ like Spaceport 9!" she said excitedly. "How did they know?!"

Augustus tilted his head, slightly confused. "Spaceport 9? You told me that's where you conducted your first news report, am I right?"

"Yes, Augustus!" Ulala squealed, her eyes shining like stars as she continued to stare at the enormous building in front of them. "Who knows, maybe some of the Morolians are here, too! I'd like you to meet them if or when we get the chance to do so. They've coexisted peacefully with us humans ever since I defeated Chief Blank, so even though they may look weird, trust me, they're very friendly creatures."

Before Augustus could say anything else, he was suddenly interrupted by excited shrieking from AiAi as a track with a long wooden ramp and a gigantic circular target came into view. The monkey was happily jumping up and down while pointing at the new landmark.

"That's Monkey Target!" Rebecca told everyone. "Where AiAi comes from, he and the rest of his monkey family like to roll in their plastic balls down the ramp, and once they're airborne, they split the balls apart in such a way that they become wings, and they fly through the air towards the target. Once they get closer, they close the balls and gravity takes over. While they fall, they hope to land as close to the center of the target as possible. During this race, however, it's all for show. You'll just be in your cars, flying off the ramp and landing on the platform before carrying on. It'll still be fun, though, I promise!"

"It does sound like fun!" Violet remarked, nudging Mike with her elbow. "_Riiiiight_?" She received a scowl in response.

Before long, the ferry slipped through a secret entrance hidden behind a craggy rock wall, leaving the outdoors behind as it entered an underground dock. A refreshing wave of cool air blew over everyone's heads while the overhead lights banished the darkness. The entire area looked like the inside of a cave, complete with dozens of sharp, jagged stalactites on the ceiling, and even the occasional stalagmite jutting out of the ground. There were no other ships to be seen.

"Here we are!" Rebecca announced as she and the racers disembarked the ferry, walking down the large ramp until they made contact with the dock's concrete platform. "This is the entrance to the hidden corridors beneath the island; the behind-the-scenes area where the general public is not allowed inside. Via these corridors, you'll be able to access the entrances to all twenty-four race tracks, but that's not all! Since you'll be spending a fair portion of your time here, especially in between races, we've got plenty of activities for everyone, as well as places to eat and relax if you'd like!"

"Awesome!" B.D. Joe whooped as murmurs began to scatter between the racers. "Now that's what I like to hear!"

Rebecca clapped her hands twice to get everyone's attention.

"All right, is everyone ready now?" The racers cheered in response. "Yes? Good! On we go!" She led everyone further down the platform before coming to a stop at a set of blue double doors with the All-Stars Racing logo emblazoned on them. After scanning her access card, as well as entering a passcode on a nearby number pad, the doors slid open, revealing a spacious corridor that seemed to go on forever. The whole area initially took on a light-blue hue, but the lights were slowly beginning to turn indigo, and then violet, eventually cycling through all the colors of the rainbow.

"Please be careful here," Rebecca warned as the group reached a moving walkway. The floor was moving in the same direction in order to speed up the journey down the seemingly endless corridor.

"I don't need any moving walkways to keep _me_ going!" Sonic boasted, sprinting back and forth along the entire length of the corridor at the speed of sound. Violet rolled her eyes at the cocky hedgehog's antics, being well aware that was essentially her as a kid before the factory tour. A gentle breeze tousled her blonde hair as she walked onward with the rest of the group, who were being propelled faster and further by the moving floor.

As the awestruck racers continued their forwards journey, the nearby scenery began to change. Clean, sterile walls were replaced with tall green hedges, artificial trees and topiaries of all shapes and sizes, and thick wooden pillars that were covered with ivy. A series of archways that were made from twisting green vines cast thin shadows over everyone's heads as they passed underneath each one.

"You are now approaching the end of the moving walkway," an automated voice announced. "Please watch your step."

Most of the racers regarded these instructions, walking or flying smoothly off the end of the walkway. Others were still walking as the end approached, causing them to stumble over with their arms flailing. Eventually, everybody safely made it back onto stationary ground, and Rebecca led her group down the last portion of the corridor, which now resembled the inside of an ancient temple, before coming to a stop at another set of double doors. A digital sign just above the doors read: "MAIN HUB".

"The Main Hub," Tails read aloud, scratching his muzzle with a finger. "I take it that this is where we can access everything available to us?"

"That's correct, Tails," Rebecca answered with a smile, and she scanned her card to allow the doors to slide open. "Feast your eyes." Once the doors fully parted, the racers gasped, squeaked, or bleeped in amazement as they took in the sights of the room before them.

The Main Hub was an enormous, circular room that was somewhat reminiscent of the inside of a shopping mall. The center of the room, which was somewhat hidden amongst thick bushes and scenery elements depicting where each racer came from, was occupied by a plethora of tables and comfortable chairs. Thirteen themed corridors branched off of the hub like the spokes of a bicycle wheel, and they all led towards the island's themed areas where the race tracks were situated. Amongst those corridors, there were numerous places to get food and beverages, as well as a fully-featured workshop for the racers to work on their own vehicles and to customize them even further.

"Now, you have about fifteen minutes to go ahead and explore," Rebecca told everyone, "but by that time, I expect you all to meet me by the Seaside Hill corridor. It's the first corridor on the left. Go on, take a look around! Have fun!"

"Heh, you know I won't need _that_ much time," Sonic reminded her. Without looking back, he dashed from corridor to corridor in the blink of an eye before coming to a halt in front of Rebecca three seconds later, with a cocky-looking grin on his face. "Okay, I'm done."

Willy Wonka was walking around the perimeter of the hub, taking a peek down each corridor. The first corridor, labeled "Seaside Hill", had rock walls designed in a dark-orange/light-orange checkered pattern, palm trees spaced evenly throughout, and artificial turf on the ground. There were three more corridors that branched off of it, which led to the three race tracks in that particular themed area. The first one was called Whale Lagoon, the next was Lost Palace, and the final one was Ocean Ruin.

"So _these_ are the backstage areas," the chocolatier said aloud to himself. "Whoever designed this area must have the same kind of imagination as me, to put this much attention to detail into places where people don't normally go. I'd better tell the Oompa-Loompas what it's like over here when I return to the factory! That is, if they're not already watching us from inside the Projection Room."

Tails and Charlie decided to explore the workshop to bide their time. With the exception of numerous shelves and tables along the perimeter that contained just about every tool one could want, the enormous room was virtually empty, without a single vehicle in sight.

"Wow, this is so amazing!" Charlie exclaimed as he looked around. "But where's our cars? I guess they're out on the track?"

"More than likely," Tails replied from halfway across the room. He was busy looking in one of the many drawers that contained most of the smaller hand tools. "Hey Charlie, you should check this out!"

"What is it, Tails?" Charlie questioned, eagerly marching over to where the twin-tailed fox stood. Tails' sapphire eyes glinted in the light as he turned to face his new friend. He pointed at a neatly stacked pile of gleaming silver wrenches and screwdrivers. A simple logo that read "Smilex" was etched into the tools' handles.

"Look," Tails replied as he grabbed one of the wrenches. "These tools all feature the logo of the toothpaste company that your father works at! He must be skilled at fixing things, too!"

"He sure is!" Charlie beamed proudly. "Before I won my Golden Ticket, my dad was laid off due to having been replaced by a machine, but after I became Mr. Wonka's heir, everything changed for the better. He has always had a knack for anything mechanical, so he was re-hired as the ideal person to repair the machine whenever it breaks down. Isn't that neat?" He paused for a moment while Tails acknowledged him. "Aaaaand now I'm starting to sound like Willy Wonka."

The fox immediately burst into peals of laughter. "Well, you are his heir after all, so it's only natural that some of his personality gets passed down to you since you're spending so much time learning from him! Let's keep looking around! I'm sure there's plenty of more stuff to see in here."

Meanwhile, Augustus and Ulala were sitting across from each other at one of the tables in the center of the hub. Right beside the table, there was a life-sized marble statue of a Morolian, one of the strangest creatures he had ever seen. It had a slender red body, long, narrow antennae sticking up from its head with yellow bulb-like tips, and what appeared to be a screen where its eyes should be.

"So those are the creatures that...will invade Earth in your time?" Augustus inquired, pointing towards it.

The reporter smiled at him. "Yes, that's what a good number of them look like. Some are short, others are tall, and some have multiple tentacles instead of arms. They vary in color as well, such as yellow, blue, purple, green, turquoise, and just about every other color you can possibly imagine! And of course, they're experts at dancing."

Augustus took another glance at the Morolian statue. "I can tell! By the way, do you think you can teach me how to dance when we get back to the hotel, if there's any spot to do so?"

Ulala sat up straight in her chair, looking directly into Augustus' blue eyes. "Well, I asked Rebecca just that shortly after I checked in two days ago with Sonic and the others, and she said there's a performing arts theater in the lower level of the hotel! I'd be more than happy to give you a lesson this afternoon."

"Danke," the German teen smiled. "I'm looking forward to it!"

Mike and Violet were exploring one of the other corridors, which was named "Tokyo-To". Indeed, it had a metropolitan, "concrete jungle" vibe to it, with miniature skyscrapers all along the sides of the area, huge screens that displayed advertisements in Japanese, and there was even a miniature bullet train snaking around and through some of the buildings. The signs that pointed to the three race tracks beyond, Shibuya Downtown, Rokkaku Hill, and Highway Zero, were installed on metal poles that came complete with working traffic lights. "Too bad Beat isn't racing in this tournament, because he's a seriously cool guy. I bet he'd do well here."

Violet looked at him inquisitively. "Beat? Isn't he that graffiti artist from _Jet Set Radio_?"

"Yep, he sure is!" Mike replied. "Even though he isn't racing, who knows, we just might see him watching us from the stands! Besides, something tells me that I'll really enjoy racing on these tracks, not only because of the theming, but they don't go upside down, according to my research. So it's a win-win situation for me!"

Violet playfully sneered at her tech-savvy friend. "Ha, we'll see who wins for _real_ when we get there, Michael Teavee!"

Not far away, Veruca, B.D. Joe, Big, and Amy were exploring another city-themed corridor, labeled "New Crazy City". The pathway, which was designed to resemble a multi-lane road, was dotted with miniature replicas of famous buildings in New York City, including the Empire State Building, Grand Central Terminal, and One World Trade Center. Unlike most of the other corridors, this one was only home to a single race track, named West Side Beach.

"Wow, it's like they combined my home city with both New York City and Station Square!" B.D. Joe said delightfully. "I can't wait to get behind the wheel of my—"

"Attention, racers!" a robotic voice suddenly announced, making them jump almost a foot in the air. "Please make your way towards the Seaside Hill Corridor immediately. Qualification will begin fifteen minutes from now."

"Hurry, let's go!" Amy exclaimed, sprinting back down the corridor towards the Main Hub. Big, Veruca, and B.D. Joe ran after her, and soon enough, they reunited with the rest of the competition.

"Took you long enough," Sonic said with a smirk. Amy replied with a silent glare.

"Come on, racers!" Rebecca called out, motioning with her arm to urge everyone along the corridor. "Let's boogie!"

"Hey! That's _my_ line!" Mr. Wonka shouted from behind. Rebecca looked over her shoulder, smirking at the older chocolatier as the racers made a beeline for the corridor that would lead them to the Whale Lagoon race track.

**Author's note: I hope you enjoyed Part 1 of this long-awaited chapter! Hopefully this won't spoil anything, but I thought I should post the names of all the race tracks that will be featured in the story for future reference. They are not presented in the order of how the tournament will go; rather, I categorized them by their themed areas (Seaside Hill, Blizzard Castle, etc.). For example, the racers will start on Whale Lagoon, then conquer Icicle Valley before advancing to Roulette Road and Sunshine Tour. Here's the list:  
**

**Seaside Hill (Whale Lagoon, Lost Palace, Ocean Ruin) - Sonic the Hedgehog**

**Blizzard Castle (Icicle Valley, Rampart Road) - Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg**

**Casino Park (Roulette Road, Pinball Highway, Bingo Party) - Sonic the Hedgehog**

**Carnival Town (Sunshine Tour, Jump Parade, Rocky Coaster) - Samba de Amigo**

**Tokyo-To (Shibuya Downtown, Rokkaku Hill, Highway Zero) - Jet Set Radio**

**New Crazy City (West Side Beach, [Crazy Taxi]) - Crazy Taxi**

**Final Fortress (Turbine Loop, Dark Arsenal, Thunder Deck) - Sonic the Hedgehog**

**Jumble Jungle (Treetops) - Super Monkey Ball**

**Detritus Desert (Sandy Drifts) - Super Monkey Ball**

**Spaceport 9 (Swingin' Roadshow) - Space Channel 5**

**Wonka's Factory (Candy Course) - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory**

**Dino Mountain (Lava Lair) - Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg**

**Pirates Ocean (Monkey Target) - Super Monkey Ball**

**You can keep this in mind for reference. Stay tuned for Part 2, which I promise will be updated MUCH quicker than this one, and as always, please feel free to review! :)**


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